Discourses of Childlessness in Bangladesh

Abstract

This chapter explores the discourses around medical and alternative treatments that emerged in the accounts of 11 middle-class Bengali women who sought treatment for their childlessness. Fertility has been considered a prime problem for Bangladesh since the 1980s, and policy documents still focus on fertility reduction, along with reducing maternal mortality. Yet, no recent policy documents considered childlessness as a problem. This investigation informs of the links between biomedical power and childlessness as they are emerging in urban Bangladesh. The sections of this chapter discuss the concepts of biopower and agency, illustrate the different trajectories interviewees pursued in dealing with childlessness, focus on the issue of the so-called perfect age for assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatments, and explore interviewees’ stories of their experiences of IVF. The concluding section discusses these women’s accounts of the beliefs according to which they actively decide their technological options.