從性別觀點看臺灣的凍卵論述

Abstract

凍卵為近年來新興社會議題。生育一事牽涉眾多考量，現代女性一方面想要保有生育的機會，一方面追求教育與職涯，晚婚晚育便應運而生。女性因年齡增長帶來生育能力喪失的潛在威脅，更是凍卵需求的重要原因。 研究者採納科技與社會(Science, technology and society, 學門的觀點，關心凍卵技術發展的社會意涵，並且著眼於凍卵的倫理爭議以及該技術對社會帶來的衝擊。本文透過論述分析檢視凍卵在媒體場域的討論，點出不同的辯論立場中各種基於性別角色期待的論點，用性別觀點深入剖析凍卵科技之使用如何牽涉各式權力關係與協商。 研究者以田野觀察的方式進行文本資料收集。資料收集始於2023 年1 月1日，結束於2023 年12 月31 日。納入的分析的文本有送子鳥生殖中心以及茂盛醫院的診所網站、Dcard 、Threads 和Facebook 的貼文和留言、YouTube 影片以及網路新聞，另外還進行了三場田野觀察。研究者將文本內容概念化，以論述分析的方式進行研究，目的是想要探究凍卵議題所處的社會脈絡，以及凍卵議題的相關論述可能如何影響使用者的選擇。 本研究發現台灣社會中凍卵被賦予「保險和賦權」的意義，其意義建構發生於不利於婚育的政治經濟環境，以及持續影響女性發展機會的性別規範。在此情境中，生殖醫學機構積極提高女性對於不孕風險的意識，並以「賦權」的說法鼓勵女性利用凍卵來管控不孕的風險，當整體社會結構未被檢視與改變，凍卵只是一種將社會問題個人化的回應方案，並不能改變台灣晚婚晚育的趨勢以及解決少子化的危機。

Egg freezing has become a emerging social issue in recent years. The decision to have children involves various considerations, and modern women, on one hand, want to preserve their reproductive opportunities, while on the other hand, pursue education and careers, leading to delayed marriage and childbirth. The potential threat of decreased fertility due to age has become an important reason for the demand for egg freezing.

Researcher adopts the perspective of Science, Technology, and Society (STS) to examine the social implications of egg freezing technology and focus on the ethical controversies and impacts on society caused by this technology. This article examines the discussions on egg freezing in the media field through discourse analysis, highlighting various arguments based on gender role expectations from different debate positions. It deeply analyzes how the use of egg freezing technology is involved in various power relations and negotiations from a gender perspective.

Researcher conducted textual data collection through field observation. The data collection started on January 1, 2023, and ended on December 31, 2023. The texts included websites of fertility centers and clinics such as "Stork Fertility Center" and "Lee Women's Hospital," posts and comments on platforms like Dcard, Threads, and Facebook, YouTube videos, and online news. Additionally, three field observations were conducted. Researcher conceptualized the content of the texts and conducted the study through discourse analysis, aiming to explore the social context of the egg freezing issue and how related discourses might influence people's choices.

The study reveals that in Taiwanese society, egg freezing is imbued with the meanings of "insurance and empowerment." This meaning construction arises from a political and economic environment unfavorable to marriage and childbearing, as well as gender norms that continue to impact women's development opportunities. In this context, reproductive medical institutions actively raise awareness of the infertility risk among women and encourage the use of egg freezing as an "empowering" solution to control that risk. However, without a thorough examination and transformation of the overall social structure, egg freezing remains a personalized response to societal issues, unable to change the trend of delayed marriages and parenthood in Taiwan or address the crisis of declining birth rates.