Elective egg freezing in India: An ethnographic study of female reproductive choice, male perspectives and the disruption of socio-cultural norms

Elective Egg Freezing (EEF) provides women with the possibility to delay childbearing and still have a genetically related child. This project aims to contribute ethnographic insights from India - an Asian lower-middle-income country - to the global literature on user perspectives on EEF by 1) examining Indian women’s views and decisions about EEF and the views of their male family members and friends, and 2) analyzing if the act of using EEF is a deliberate expression of women’s reproductive choice that ‘disrupts’ Indian social norms on marriage and family creation. In this mixed-methods research project, I will interviews four groups of stakeholders: a) women who used EEF; b) women who considered EEF and choose not to proceed; c) women currently exploring EEF as an option; and d) male family members, partners, or close friends of these women. In an online cross-sectional survey with resident doctors in Mumbai, I will investigate their knowledge of EEF, views on parenthood, and willingness to use EEF themselves or support women’s decision to freeze fertility in a personal and professional capacity. Interviews with men will highlight their influence on women’s reproductive choices in patriarchal Indian society. Clinically relevant findings of this study will inform medical training/practice and could facilitate the provision of patient-centered care. By locating this study in India, the project moves the scholarly debate on EEF beyond the Euro-American-Australian context.