Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

A virtual promise of happiness : kinship on the websites of Danish fertility clinics and sperm banks

Harrison, Katherine LU (2019) In Feminist Media Studies 19(8). p.1096-1113
Abstract

Each month thousands of people travel across national borders to access assisted reproductive treatments across Europe. The possibility to purchase fertility treatments in a similar way to other products and services has led not only to a clearly defined market place and customer, but has also contributed to scholarly work on critical studies of kinship. To date, however, there has been little research enquiring into how new media technologies relied upon by parents for finding fertility information may contribute to shaping and circulating ideas of kinship. Within the transnational fertility marketplace, Denmark has become a hub for would-be parents due to liberal legislation, cheaper prices and shorter waiting times. As the first... (More)

Each month thousands of people travel across national borders to access assisted reproductive treatments across Europe. The possibility to purchase fertility treatments in a similar way to other products and services has led not only to a clearly defined market place and customer, but has also contributed to scholarly work on critical studies of kinship. To date, however, there has been little research enquiring into how new media technologies relied upon by parents for finding fertility information may contribute to shaping and circulating ideas of kinship. Within the transnational fertility marketplace, Denmark has become a hub for would-be parents due to liberal legislation, cheaper prices and shorter waiting times. As the first contact point for potential fertility travellers, the websites of Danish fertility clinics and sperm banks fulfil several roles, including marketing, disseminating information about scientific breakthroughs, and providing guidance on healthy lifestyle choices for potential parents. Using multimodal analysis of home pages, this paper examines how the websites of Danish fertility clinics and sperm banks contribute to shaping and circulating ideas about kinship. These websites attract and engage with customers by creating emotive representations of kinship that rely on the mother-child image.

(Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Denmark, fertility, kinship, multimodal, new media
in
Feminist Media Studies
volume
19
issue
8
pages
1096 - 1113
publisher
Taylor & Francis
external identifiers
  • scopus:85053886685
ISSN
1468-0777
DOI
10.1080/14680777.2018.1515096
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
6b875126-3ed4-4a6c-8cec-48f6d73b9972
date added to LUP
2018-10-24 12:15:11
date last changed
2022-04-25 18:25:38
@article{6b875126-3ed4-4a6c-8cec-48f6d73b9972,
  abstract     = {{<p>Each month thousands of people travel across national borders to access assisted reproductive treatments across Europe. The possibility to purchase fertility treatments in a similar way to other products and services has led not only to a clearly defined market place and customer, but has also contributed to scholarly work on critical studies of kinship. To date, however, there has been little research enquiring into how new media technologies relied upon by parents for finding fertility information may contribute to shaping and circulating ideas of kinship. Within the transnational fertility marketplace, Denmark has become a hub for would-be parents due to liberal legislation, cheaper prices and shorter waiting times. As the first contact point for potential fertility travellers, the websites of Danish fertility clinics and sperm banks fulfil several roles, including marketing, disseminating information about scientific breakthroughs, and providing guidance on healthy lifestyle choices for potential parents. Using multimodal analysis of home pages, this paper examines how the websites of Danish fertility clinics and sperm banks contribute to shaping and circulating ideas about kinship. These websites attract and engage with customers by creating emotive representations of kinship that rely on the mother-child image.</p>}},
  author       = {{Harrison, Katherine}},
  issn         = {{1468-0777}},
  keywords     = {{Denmark; fertility; kinship; multimodal; new media}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{8}},
  pages        = {{1096--1113}},
  publisher    = {{Taylor & Francis}},
  series       = {{Feminist Media Studies}},
  title        = {{A virtual promise of happiness : kinship on the websites of Danish fertility clinics and sperm banks}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14680777.2018.1515096}},
  doi          = {{10.1080/14680777.2018.1515096}},
  volume       = {{19}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}