Wednesday, August 18, 2004

Gender, Reproduction, and Gattaca

In response to the third question, about 'liberating' women from reproduction, I agree that manipulation of genetics doesn't necessarily have to be a negative thing (if only because that sounds like a massive over-generalisation to me). That said I'm not sure the world of Gattaca would really be 'liberating' women from reproduction at all. Other responses have pointed out that when new technologies emerge they tend to just have existing gender (and power) structures imposed on them, like with the Internet in today's tute. In the film the mother was still presented as the parent most responsible for caring and nurturing the children even though she hadn't physically given birth to Anton Jr., and I wouldn't be surprised by this happening if that technology were real.

I suspect that there is potential in genetic technologies, assisted reproduction, etc., for women to be (at least partially) liberated, but only if it really challenges people's perceptions of what is normal. Someone in another tute mentioned contraception, which I think is a good example -- it seems normal to us that effective contraception is readily available but I'm told by older people ;-) that the pill was a Really Big Thing when it was new, and was part of some big social changes (like the 1960s "sexual revolution").

Perhaps if there was some new technology that led to a massive change in everyone's behaviour around reproduction, then there would be a redefinition of everyone's perceptions of gender roles and the "right place" of men and women, but anything short of that probably wouldn't be so revolutionary. Someone (Tama?) mentioned in a workshop that Hollywood films tend not to present worlds that are really radically different from our own (since they wouldn't sell), so in Gattaca's world the new genetic technologies haven't made that big a social impact. I think it's possible, though, that if that technology was real then it would be a major social shift.

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