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Premarital Abortion: Reproductive Politics in Post-Socialist China

日期 : 2020-10-21

You are cordially invited to join the Fall 2020 series of Wednesday Gender Seminars, co-presented by Gender Studies Programme & Gender Research Centre, CUHK.

Topic: Premarital Abortion: Reproductive Politics in Post-Socialist China
Date: 21 Oct 2020 (Wed)
Time: 12:30 - 14:00
Language: English
Speaker: Prof. LAI Yuen Shan Ruby (Research Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology and Social Policy, Lingnan University)
Moderator: Prof. LING Minhua (Associate Professor and Associate Director, Centre for China Studies, CUHK)
Venue: Online Zoom Seminar (Link to Zoom webinar will be sent to you after registration)
Registration: bit.ly/2SKmGWP


Abstract:
This study examines issues surrounding reproduction among the unmarried population in China by focusing on the experience of abortion in relation to the institution of family, the state, and the market. It aims to analyze the impact of the sociopolitical and cultural transformations in China during the past three decades on the lives of women, and their responses to these structural changes. The findings are drawn from fieldworks conducted between 2013 and 2019. Based on the findings, I introduce a framework that incorporates the individual, relational, and social dimensions of reproduction. The framework suggests that the experiences of premarital abortion are situated in a web of interpersonal relationships that are entwined between the women, their male partners and their parents. These relationships serve as the interfaces that connect the women reproductive selves to the macro social structures, and are interweaved in the lives of these women. I argue that abortion is essential for women to exercise their bodily control and to survive in an increasingly uncertain and stratified society, but it is insufficient for them to achieve reproductive autonomy. To enhance individuals’ reproductive freedom, policy should be directed at eliminating discriminations based on gender, class, and migration status.

Speaker’s Biography:
Ruby Lai Yuen Shan received her PhD in Sociology from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Her research interests revolve around gender, family, reproductive politics, and ethnicity in Hong Kong and China. Her doctoral research explores how reproductive choices of young Chinese women are shaped by structural forces such as the state policies, the labor market, and the interpersonal dynamics within the changing family and sexual culture in China. Her other works look at the lives of new immigrants, ethnic minorities, and family relations in Hong Kong.
Related Research Article:
Lai, R. Y., & Choi, S. Y. (2019). Premarital Sexuality, Abortion, and Intergenerational Dynamics in China. Modern China, 0097700419880524