Episode 105: The Science of Sociology and Surrogacy - Zsuzsa Berend

Professor Zsuzsa Berend teaches sociology at the University of California, Los Angeles and is the academic administrator of the sociology departmental Honors program. For over a decade, she has been doing ethnographic research on an online surrogacy support forum and published on surrogacy-related topics in Medical Anthropology, Sociological Forum, and American Anthropologist. Zsuzsa’s book, “The Online World of Surrogacy” presents a methodologically innovative ethnography of SurroMomsOnline.com, the largest surrogacy support website in the United States. Surrogates’ views emerge from the stories, debates, and discussions that unfold online. The Online World of Surrogacy documents these collective meaning-making practices and explores their practical, emotional, and moral implications. In doing so, the book works through themes of interest across the social sciences, including definitions of parenthood, the symbolic role of money, reproductive loss, altruism, and the moral valuation of relationships. Listen to Zsuzsa as she discusses with Ellen and Jenn: • Her academic path from 19th-century spinsters to 21st century surrogates. • Her decade-long research following an online surrogacy forum. • Her experience with online “trolls”. • The controversial and sensitive discussion topics she observed. • How views and procedures evolved as her research progressed. • An update on her research and what happened with SurroMomsOnline.com. • Her closing thoughts and insights. Want to share your story or ask a question? Call and leave us a message on our hotline: 303-997-1903. Learn more about our podcast: https://iwanttoputababyinyou.com/ Learn more about our surrogacy agencies: https://www.brightfuturesfamilies.com/ Learn more about Ellen’s law firm: http://trachmanlawcenter.com/ Pick up your copy of The Online World of Surrogacy: The Online World of Surrogacy (Fertility, Reproduction and Sexuality: Social and Cultural Perspectives, 35): 9781785332746: Medicine & Health Science Books @ Amazon.com