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Gender dynamics in the donation field: human tissue donation for research, therapy and feeding
Author(s) -
Kent Julie,
Fannin Maria,
Dowling Sally
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
sociology of health and illness
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.146
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1467-9566
pISSN - 0141-9889
DOI - 10.1111/1467-9566.12803
Subject(s) - donation , tissue donation , blood donor , affect (linguistics) , value (mathematics) , dynamics (music) , cord blood , organ donation , social psychology , sociology , psychology , medicine , transplantation , political science , law , surgery , communication , pedagogy , machine learning , computer science , immunology
This paper examines how gender dynamics shape human tissue donation for research and for human health. Drawing on research investigating the donation of different types of bodily tissues including blood, plasma, breastmilk, cord blood, foetal tissue and placentae we consider how and why women and men are viewed as different kinds of donors. We situate these donation practices within a broader understanding of gender difference to explain why any sociology of donation needs to take account of gender. In so doing we explore how tissue derived from the bodies of women acquires value in distinctive ways and for distinctive purposes and reasons. Within these gendered bioeconomies of donation, the supply and demand for tissue is structured by social understandings of maternity, parental responsibility, and risk, which in turn affect the experiences of donors.