Section Article

Social Perception of IVF and Surrogacy in Indian Joint Families
Author(s): Himanshu Singh

Abstract
With the rapid advancement of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) in India—particularly in vitro fertilization (IVF) and surrogacy—new possibilities for parenthood have emerged challenging traditional understandings of reproduction kinship and family roles. In Indian joint families where fertility is a deeply social matter and lineage carries cultural weight the integration of such technologies has generated complex responses. This paper explores the social perception of IVF and surrogacy within Indian joint family structures focusing on acceptance resistance negotiation and reinterpretation of kinship norms. Through ethnographic fieldwork and interviews with couples in-laws surrogates and ART clinic staff across Delhi Jaipur and Nagpur the study reveals that while ART offers medical solutions to infertility it simultaneously disrupts emotional moral and relational expectations embedded in patriarchal family systems. The findings suggest that IVF and surrogacy are not just biomedical interventions but deeply social practices with implications for gender roles family honor intergenerational relationships and the evolving meaning of motherhood.