Marknadens mödrar : En analys av den svenska debatten om surrogatmödraskap år 1980-2016

Sammanfattning

This thesis explores how surrogacy has been discussed and understood in Swedish public discourse between 1980 and 2016. Using a discourse analysis of parliamentary debates, government reports, and newspaper articles, it identifies three central themes: the transition from a welfare state ethos to market logic, the changing understanding and valuation of women's bodies and reproduction, and Sweden's shift from a restrictive stance to an ambivalent acceptance of international surrogacy arrangements. The thesis shows how surrogacy has become normalized in Swedish discourse, while the pregnant woman is increasingly reduced to a means in others' family projects. Theoretical perspectives from Gayle Rubin, Nancy Fraser, and Gita Sen are used to analyze this transformation as part of a broader ideological shift, in which feminist ideals of freedom and autonomy are integrated into a global market logic. This study thus provides a historical understanding of how women's bodies are made available as reproductive labor in a transnational economy, and how this is reflected in Swedish debate and policy.