You may follow the seminar at the following link.
“Having a Child Through Medically Assisted Reproduction: A Social Stratification Perspective”
SPEAKER: Alice Goisis (University College London).
ABSTRACT:
Prior research documents marked social disparities in births through medically assisted reproduction (MAR), which are often attributed to unequal access to treatment. However, social inequalities may also arise from processes operating after MAR treatments begin. We examine this possibility using population-level administrative register data from Finland, a context where MAR treatments are generously subsidized and access barriers are relatively low. Focusing on all childless women who initiated MAR treatments between 1995 and 2019, we analyze whether and why women with tertiary education are more likely than less-educated women to have a child through MAR. The results show that, among childless women who start MAR treatments, those with tertiary education are more likely to have a child after MAR than women with below tertiary education. This educational gradient is partly explained by differences in early treatment discontinuation, uptake of more invasive and more successful MAR treatments, and per-cycle treatment success rates. The results support the hypothesis that social stratification processes in MAR outcomes continues after the start of MAR treatments.
BIO:
Alice Goisis is Professor of Demography and Acting Director of CLOSER at the Social Research Institute, University College London. Her research sits at the intersection of family demography, reproductive health, and social inequality, with a particular focus on life course processes and family wellbeing. Funded by an ERC Starting Grant (2019–2025), her recent work examines the demographic, social, and health consequences of medically assisted reproduction. Her research has been published in leading journals across demography, sociology, and public health and in 2020 she was awarded the European Demographer Award. She contributes to the field through editorial and professional service, including as Associate Editor of the European Journal of Population, and is co-founder and coordinator of the EAPS Working Group on Infertility and Medically Assisted Reproduction.
