Reproduction as consumption: unravelling the sociological shaping of reproductive tourism market in China

ABSTRACT

Human reproduction is increasingly marketised with technologies that alter the traditional parameters of parenthood and childbirth, casting doubt on the legitimacy of the premises of biological foundationalism. This conceptual paper explores the sociology of markets by conceptualising the emergence of the reproductive tourism market in China as the outcome of institutional work. Drawing on a historical trajectory that extends from the Maoist era to the Reformation and Post-reformation era, we demonstrate how the reproductive tourism market emerges as a result of a combination of historical, political, socio-cultural forces, epitomising a social process of market development. This study demonstrates how technology and the proliferation of consumer culture have transformed parenthood in China into a new form of conspicuous consumption, and addresses a relatively infrequently studied topic in current marketing literature, the nexus of geneticized markets and consumer culture.

KEYWORDS:

• Reproductive tourism
• market shaping
• Chinese consumer culture and institutional theory

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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

I-Chieh Michelle Yang

Dr I-Chieh Michelle Yang is an Assistant Professor of Marketing at the Graduate School of Management, Kyoto University, Japan. She received her Ph.D. degree in Marketing from Monash University, Australia. Her research area lies in consumer culture in Asia, politicized consumption, sociology of markets, and tourism marketing. Dr. Yang’s works have been published in leading marketing and tourism journals, such as Annals of Tourism Research, Journal of Marketing Management, Current Issues in Tourism and Tourism Analysis.

Aminath Shaba Ismail

Dr Aminath Shaba Ismail has recently completed her doctoral study in marketing from Monash University. Her research interests center around exploring the sociocultural dimensions of consumption and markets, particularly concerning the reproduction and transformation of social stratifications along the lines of gender.

Juliana Angeline French

Dr Juliana French is a senior lecturer at Monash Business School.