Proceedings of the Global Conference on Gender Studies
Year: 2024
DOI:
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Reinforcing Gender Discrimination Through Donorisation and Control Over the Bodies: The Case of Living Organ Transplantation
Sezen Demirhan, Murat Arpaci, Karolina Barglowski, Ilknur Gurses Kose
ABSTRACT:
Life sciences are becoming increasingly important to understanding the world and epistemology, but their path to fulfillment remains problematic. The male-dominated network, systematically embedded across all societal institutions, has manifested through various economic and political phenomena over historical periods, and more recently through biopolitics, subjugating all aspects of biological life. Living organ transplantation has gained increasing importance in recent years due to several factors, particularly the growing organ demand. The concept of “donorisation” in living organ transplantation, where organs like kidneys and livers are taken from healthy individuals, exemplifies how biopolitical structures reinforce societal expectations and roles along gendered lines. Biopolitics leverages existing prejudices and cultural norms as tools for legitimization. This study explores how biopolitics exploits and perpetuates existing gender inequalities through the lens of living organ transplantation by using the concept of donorisation. The study discusses biopolitics by addressing two key dimensions: gender and living organ transplantation. It analyses the experiences of women and gender-diverse individuals as living organ donors and organ recipients, highlighting the inequalities they encounter. Gender disparities in organ transplantation are examined through a comprehensive literature review and their potential impacts on various gender identities. This study emphasizes how biopolitics reinforces gender roles to justify practices within living organ transplantation, underscoring the need for further research to amplify the experiences of marginalized groups, including women and gender-diverse individuals.
keywords: living organ donation, gender inequalities, health, organ transplantation, biopolitics