Surrogacy in India: a new biomedical way to overcome gender constraints?

International audienceUse of new reproductive technology for surrogacy has raised controversies, especially when it involves parents and women from different origins and social classes. Before the political changes, it was the case of India which had become one of the leading international destinations for surrogacy. Little is known however about the representations and experiences of people involved, of surrogates particularly. Based on a 2-year field study and other empirical research work, the objective is here to analyze surrogates profiles, motivations, and experiences and to show that surrogacy in India is a very complex issue concerning gender. Development of surrogacy in India is partly due to its substantial reserve of “reproductive labor force.” However, contrary to what is usually assumed, Indian surrogates are neither the least educated nor the poorest. Their motivation is nevertheless financial. Indian women enter in surrogacy process to fulfill their gender role as mother and spouse. Surrogacy may also be approached as a potential empowerment of women, who develop resistance and valorization strategies and take their family’s destiny in hand. Long-term studies need however to be further developed to evaluate the real impact of this practice on their socio-economic and gender conditions