The "Rent-A-Womb" Boom: The Political Economy of India's Transnational Commercial Surrogacy Market

Simple item page
dc.contributor.advisorWilson, Lucas
dc.contributor.authorMasood, Surayya
dc.date.accessioned2016-07-01T13:14:10Z
dc.date.available2016-07-01T13:14:10Z
dc.date.gradyear2016en_US
dc.date.issued2016-07-01
dc.description.abstractReproductive justice issues have been a heavily debated topic in the modern, globalized world. With the advent of many modern day reproductive technologies, there have been increasing concerns expressed within the realms of economics, politics, feminist studies and various other social sciences. Commercial surrogacy is one such reproductive issue that has become increasingly popular today and spans transnationally due to the existence of reproductive technologies. In lower income countries, like India, transnational commercial surrogacy has transformed into a booming business. However, throughout the history of reproductive politics, we have seen the commodification and fetishization of the human body, and we see the same occurring within the structures of transnational commercial surrogacy markets. For this research, we will examine the reductionist social and economic structures that have commodified female bodies, reducing their reproductive labor to that of an unskilled, abstract laborer working in a capitalist firm. This research aims to examine what kinds of exploitation takes place during the processes of transnational commercial surrogacy and will then argue whether the market should remain completely free, completely banned or should function with an enforcement of strict regulations. By providing a labor protection framework, this paper proposes that these markets should be strictly regulated by the state with greater emphasis on the protection of surrogate mothers, rather than be solely focused on the protection of rights intending parents and corporations.en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipEconomicsen_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10166/3914
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.rights.restrictedrestricteden_US
dc.subjectsurrogacyen_US
dc.subjecteconomicsen_US
dc.subjectexploitationen_US
dc.subjectpolicy analysisen_US
dc.subjectIndiaen_US
dc.titleThe "Rent-A-Womb" Boom: The Political Economy of India's Transnational Commercial Surrogacy Marketen_US
dc.typeThesis
mhc.degreeUndergraduateen_US
mhc.institutionMount Holyoke College

Files

Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
Surayya Masood - Thesis - June 2016.pdf
Size:
244.89 KB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Download

Collections

Student Theses and Honors Collection