Assisted Reproductive Technologies in the Islamic Republic: Infertility, Inequality and Masculinities in Iran (360G-Wellcome-217975_Z_19_Z)

This research examines how (in)fertile couples, men in particular, can access and utilize assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) in the socio-cultural, legal, religious and medical context of contemporary Iran. Iran is the only Muslim country in which ARTs, including the use of donor gametes and embryos, have been regulated by the state. Although the state partly subsidizes ARTs, they are not equally accessible to all. In Iran, infertility—a stigmatized condition—is considered a ‘woman’s problem’; male infertility is hardly recognized in families, society or in social science. This ethnographic study will yield insights into male infertility and the use of ARTs in Iran and how this relates to dominant notions of masculinity. It will build on four core theoretical notions—‘reproductive navigation’, ‘(Islamic) biopolitics’, ‘stratified reproduction’ and ‘emerging masculinities’—and take an intersectional perspective considering gender, class and religion. Conducted in Tehran and Yazd, the research methods will include: observation in hospitals and in the mundane lives of (in)fertile couples; interviews with couples and religious authorities, medical professionals and policymakers. This research will further our understanding of how gender, class and religion inform disparities in the use of and access to ARTs, and speak to reproduction policies in Iran and countries with similar conditions.