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Dec 6, 2019 23:11:46   #
Canuckus Deploracus Loc: North of the wall
 
China's Single Women Seek Sperm Donors Overseas
ChinaWire

BEIJING - Looking at page after page of childhood photos, Xiaogunzhu was drawn to an image of a French-Irish boy with smiling dark blue eyes.

But she was not admiring her lover's family album, she was browsing a catalogue of potential sperm donors - the 39-year-old is one of an increasing number of affluent single women in China that are seeking a child, but not a husband.

Unmarried women in China are largely barred from accessing sperm banks and in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment, forcing them to seek options abroad.

Her choice made - donor #14471 on the website of a Californian sperm bank - Xiaogunzhu flew to the United States to begin the first rounds of treatment.

"There are many women who won't get married, so they might not fulfil this fundamental biological mission," Xiaogunzhu told AFP, using the name she blogs under to avoid any negative attention.

"But I felt another path had opened up," she added.

Her baby, now nine months old, is called Oscar after a character in a comic about the French revolution - a nod to the donor's French ancestry.

The marriage rate in China has been in decline over the last five years. Last year, only 7.2 out of 1,000 people got married, according to official statistics.

Educated professional women face "discrimination" when seeking spouses, explained sociologist Sandy To, as their male partners have "difficulty accepting their higher educational or economic accomplishments".

But many feel that struggling to find or simply not wanting a partner should not preclude them from mothe

Xiaogunzhu believes a father isn't necessary - her own was controlling and often angry, dimming her view of the traditional family set-up.

"Why does everyone think that children will ask: 'Why don't I have a father?'" she said.

Analysts predict that the total market in China for fertility services will reach US$1.5 billion (S$2 billion) in 2022 - more than double its 2016 value.

But demand for services overseas for Chinese nationals is also booming.

Danish sperm and egg bank Cryos International has created a Chinese website and added Chinese-speaking staff. American and European sperm banks told AFP that they have increasing numbers of Chinese clients.

But the journey is neither cheap nor easy.

China's national health department stipulates that the purpose of sperm banks is for "treating infertility and preventing genetic diseases".

In practice, that prohibits non-married women from using them.

"We want to help these single women, but unfortunately, we truly are politically restricted," said Liu Jiaen, the director of a fertility hospital in Beijing.

Liu said the limitation is "a pity".

Conceiving a child through a foreign sperm bank starts from 200,000 yuan (S$38,600).

Women must make several trips abroad for the medical procedures, as Chinese law bans importing human sperm.

Women also face discrimination; in Chinese culture, marriage is still considered essential to having a child.

"If sperm banks and related technology like egg-freezing are accessible to single women, it's a way to safeguard your own reproduction ability," said Ms Alan Zhang, a 28-year-old reproductive rights activist in Beijing.

She has written more than 60 letters to delegates of China's parliamentary body asking them to overturn the restriction as part of her work with Diversity Family, the NGO she co-founded to advocate for non-traditional family structures.

"The state does not do this, so the people can only find their own way," she said.

In China, sperm donors must remain anonymous.

But international sperm banks offer women details like hair colour, childhood photos and ethnic background.

"If you choose to use a sperm donor, sperm is essentially a commodity," said Carrie, a 35-year-old single mother living in south-west China who also requested anonymity.

She said that international sperm banks are more sophisticated than Chinese ones, and "able to meet consumer demand".

Mr Peter Reeslev, CEO of Cryos International, told AFP that given the extra choices, "Chinese women tend to choose Caucasian donors".

He said one possible reason is that sperm banks outside of China have fewer Chinese donors - Cryos has only nine donors out of 900 who identify as Chinese.

US sperm bank California Cryobank has 70 available donors out of 500 who self-identify as Chinese.

But experts say regardless of the availability of Chinese or Chinese-American donors, women are still choosing to have mixed-race children.

"Basically, the selected sperm donors are mostly white," said Xi Hao, a clinical coordinator in Beijing who helps Chinese customers access a fertility clinic in California.

Ms Zhan Yingying, a co-founder of the Diversity Family organisation, said it was rare for her to come across a mother who chose a sperm donor of Chinese ethnicity.

Traits such as double eyelids and pale skin are often valued according to Chinese beauty standards.

"Before choosing the sperm donor, I had not considered a particular race," insisted Carrie, but after seeing the catalogue, she realised she had a preference for foreign physical traits - and now has two half-Danish children.

For baby Oscar, Xiaogunzhu said personality was the major factor in her decision as the donor was listed as "full of joy".

But on her Weibo blog, photos of Oscar with the hashtag #mixed-race baby draw admiration.

"I personally don't care about the colour of the skin," she said.

"I only care that the eyes are big and the features are good."

Reply
Dec 6, 2019 23:32:05   #
PaulPisces Loc: San Francisco
 
Canuckus Deploracus wrote:
China's Single Women Seek Sperm Donors Overseas
ChinaWire

BEIJING - Looking at page after page of childhood photos, Xiaogunzhu was drawn to an image of a French-Irish boy with smiling dark blue eyes.

But she was not admiring her lover's family album, she was browsing a catalogue of potential sperm donors - the 39-year-old is one of an increasing number of affluent single women in China that are seeking a child, but not a husband.

Unmarried women in China are largely barred from accessing sperm banks and in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment, forcing them to seek options abroad.

Her choice made - donor #14471 on the website of a Californian sperm bank - Xiaogunzhu flew to the United States to begin the first rounds of treatment.

"There are many women who won't get married, so they might not fulfil this fundamental biological mission," Xiaogunzhu told AFP, using the name she blogs under to avoid any negative attention.

"But I felt another path had opened up," she added.

Her baby, now nine months old, is called Oscar after a character in a comic about the French revolution - a nod to the donor's French ancestry.

The marriage rate in China has been in decline over the last five years. Last year, only 7.2 out of 1,000 people got married, according to official statistics.

Educated professional women face "discrimination" when seeking spouses, explained sociologist Sandy To, as their male partners have "difficulty accepting their higher educational or economic accomplishments".

But many feel that struggling to find or simply not wanting a partner should not preclude them from mothe

Xiaogunzhu believes a father isn't necessary - her own was controlling and often angry, dimming her view of the traditional family set-up.

"Why does everyone think that children will ask: 'Why don't I have a father?'" she said.

Analysts predict that the total market in China for fertility services will reach US$1.5 billion (S$2 billion) in 2022 - more than double its 2016 value.

But demand for services overseas for Chinese nationals is also booming.

Danish sperm and egg bank Cryos International has created a Chinese website and added Chinese-speaking staff. American and European sperm banks told AFP that they have increasing numbers of Chinese clients.

But the journey is neither cheap nor easy.

China's national health department stipulates that the purpose of sperm banks is for "treating infertility and preventing genetic diseases".

In practice, that prohibits non-married women from using them.

"We want to help these single women, but unfortunately, we truly are politically restricted," said Liu Jiaen, the director of a fertility hospital in Beijing.

Liu said the limitation is "a pity".

Conceiving a child through a foreign sperm bank starts from 200,000 yuan (S$38,600).

Women must make several trips abroad for the medical procedures, as Chinese law bans importing human sperm.

Women also face discrimination; in Chinese culture, marriage is still considered essential to having a child.

"If sperm banks and related technology like egg-freezing are accessible to single women, it's a way to safeguard your own reproduction ability," said Ms Alan Zhang, a 28-year-old reproductive rights activist in Beijing.

She has written more than 60 letters to delegates of China's parliamentary body asking them to overturn the restriction as part of her work with Diversity Family, the NGO she co-founded to advocate for non-traditional family structures.

"The state does not do this, so the people can only find their own way," she said.

In China, sperm donors must remain anonymous.

But international sperm banks offer women details like hair colour, childhood photos and ethnic background.

"If you choose to use a sperm donor, sperm is essentially a commodity," said Carrie, a 35-year-old single mother living in south-west China who also requested anonymity.

She said that international sperm banks are more sophisticated than Chinese ones, and "able to meet consumer demand".

Mr Peter Reeslev, CEO of Cryos International, told AFP that given the extra choices, "Chinese women tend to choose Caucasian donors".

He said one possible reason is that sperm banks outside of China have fewer Chinese donors - Cryos has only nine donors out of 900 who identify as Chinese.

US sperm bank California Cryobank has 70 available donors out of 500 who self-identify as Chinese.

But experts say regardless of the availability of Chinese or Chinese-American donors, women are still choosing to have mixed-race children.

"Basically, the selected sperm donors are mostly white," said Xi Hao, a clinical coordinator in Beijing who helps Chinese customers access a fertility clinic in California.

Ms Zhan Yingying, a co-founder of the Diversity Family organisation, said it was rare for her to come across a mother who chose a sperm donor of Chinese ethnicity.

Traits such as double eyelids and pale skin are often valued according to Chinese beauty standards.

"Before choosing the sperm donor, I had not considered a particular race," insisted Carrie, but after seeing the catalogue, she realised she had a preference for foreign physical traits - and now has two half-Danish children.

For baby Oscar, Xiaogunzhu said personality was the major factor in her decision as the donor was listed as "full of joy".

But on her Weibo blog, photos of Oscar with the hashtag #mixed-race baby draw admiration.

"I personally don't care about the colour of the skin," she said.

"I only care that the eyes are big and the features are good."
China's Single Women Seek Sperm Donors Overseas br... (show quote)


Sounds like women everywhere are taking control of their own bodies and futures!
My prediction is that most men will respond with slings and arrows.

It might be a better strategy, assuming they want to remain relevant in women's lives, for men to explore how they might make themselves more appealing to the needs of women.

Reply
Dec 6, 2019 23:37:25   #
debeda
 
Canuckus Deploracus wrote:
China's Single Women Seek Sperm Donors Overseas
ChinaWire

BEIJING - Looking at page after page of childhood photos, Xiaogunzhu was drawn to an image of a French-Irish boy with smiling dark blue eyes.

But she was not admiring her lover's family album, she was browsing a catalogue of potential sperm donors - the 39-year-old is one of an increasing number of affluent single women in China that are seeking a child, but not a husband.

Unmarried women in China are largely barred from accessing sperm banks and in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment, forcing them to seek options abroad.

Her choice made - donor #14471 on the website of a Californian sperm bank - Xiaogunzhu flew to the United States to begin the first rounds of treatment.

"There are many women who won't get married, so they might not fulfil this fundamental biological mission," Xiaogunzhu told AFP, using the name she blogs under to avoid any negative attention.

"But I felt another path had opened up," she added.

Her baby, now nine months old, is called Oscar after a character in a comic about the French revolution - a nod to the donor's French ancestry.

The marriage rate in China has been in decline over the last five years. Last year, only 7.2 out of 1,000 people got married, according to official statistics.

Educated professional women face "discrimination" when seeking spouses, explained sociologist Sandy To, as their male partners have "difficulty accepting their higher educational or economic accomplishments".

But many feel that struggling to find or simply not wanting a partner should not preclude them from mothe

Xiaogunzhu believes a father isn't necessary - her own was controlling and often angry, dimming her view of the traditional family set-up.

"Why does everyone think that children will ask: 'Why don't I have a father?'" she said.

Analysts predict that the total market in China for fertility services will reach US$1.5 billion (S$2 billion) in 2022 - more than double its 2016 value.

But demand for services overseas for Chinese nationals is also booming.

Danish sperm and egg bank Cryos International has created a Chinese website and added Chinese-speaking staff. American and European sperm banks told AFP that they have increasing numbers of Chinese clients.

But the journey is neither cheap nor easy.

China's national health department stipulates that the purpose of sperm banks is for "treating infertility and preventing genetic diseases".

In practice, that prohibits non-married women from using them.

"We want to help these single women, but unfortunately, we truly are politically restricted," said Liu Jiaen, the director of a fertility hospital in Beijing.

Liu said the limitation is "a pity".

Conceiving a child through a foreign sperm bank starts from 200,000 yuan (S$38,600).

Women must make several trips abroad for the medical procedures, as Chinese law bans importing human sperm.

Women also face discrimination; in Chinese culture, marriage is still considered essential to having a child.

"If sperm banks and related technology like egg-freezing are accessible to single women, it's a way to safeguard your own reproduction ability," said Ms Alan Zhang, a 28-year-old reproductive rights activist in Beijing.

She has written more than 60 letters to delegates of China's parliamentary body asking them to overturn the restriction as part of her work with Diversity Family, the NGO she co-founded to advocate for non-traditional family structures.

"The state does not do this, so the people can only find their own way," she said.

In China, sperm donors must remain anonymous.

But international sperm banks offer women details like hair colour, childhood photos and ethnic background.

"If you choose to use a sperm donor, sperm is essentially a commodity," said Carrie, a 35-year-old single mother living in south-west China who also requested anonymity.

She said that international sperm banks are more sophisticated than Chinese ones, and "able to meet consumer demand".

Mr Peter Reeslev, CEO of Cryos International, told AFP that given the extra choices, "Chinese women tend to choose Caucasian donors".

He said one possible reason is that sperm banks outside of China have fewer Chinese donors - Cryos has only nine donors out of 900 who identify as Chinese.

US sperm bank California Cryobank has 70 available donors out of 500 who self-identify as Chinese.

But experts say regardless of the availability of Chinese or Chinese-American donors, women are still choosing to have mixed-race children.

"Basically, the selected sperm donors are mostly white," said Xi Hao, a clinical coordinator in Beijing who helps Chinese customers access a fertility clinic in California.

Ms Zhan Yingying, a co-founder of the Diversity Family organisation, said it was rare for her to come across a mother who chose a sperm donor of Chinese ethnicity.

Traits such as double eyelids and pale skin are often valued according to Chinese beauty standards.

"Before choosing the sperm donor, I had not considered a particular race," insisted Carrie, but after seeing the catalogue, she realised she had a preference for foreign physical traits - and now has two half-Danish children.

For baby Oscar, Xiaogunzhu said personality was the major factor in her decision as the donor was listed as "full of joy".

But on her Weibo blog, photos of Oscar with the hashtag #mixed-race baby draw admiration.

"I personally don't care about the colour of the skin," she said.

"I only care that the eyes are big and the features are good."
China's Single Women Seek Sperm Donors Overseas br... (show quote)


Wow. Interesting!!! Do they have adequate day care facilities in China or will these women be on their own for that?

Reply
 
 
Dec 6, 2019 23:47:56   #
Canuckus Deploracus Loc: North of the wall
 
debeda wrote:
Wow. Interesting!!! Do they have adequate day care facilities in China or will these women be on their own for that?


Daycare?

If they want to pay for it... Certainly...

It's of greater concern that without a marriage license the children won't be recognized as legitimate... Many benefits will be withheld...

Free education for example...

Although it would follow that if the women can afford these procedures in the first place that they can afford to pay for education as well...

Reply
Dec 6, 2019 23:49:33   #
Canuckus Deploracus Loc: North of the wall
 
PaulPisces wrote:
Sounds like women everywhere are taking control of their own bodies and futures!
My prediction is that most men will respond with slings and arrows.

It might be a better strategy, assuming they want to remain relevant in women's lives, for men to explore how they might make themselves more appealing to the needs of women.


Taking control of their bodies?

How so?

What would your view new on a man paying to impregnate a woman, then keeping the child?

Reply
Dec 7, 2019 00:01:31   #
debeda
 
Canuckus Deploracus wrote:
Daycare?

If they want to pay for it... Certainly...

It's of greater concern that without a marriage license the children won't be recognized as legitimate... Many benefits will be withheld...

Free education for example...

Although it would follow that if the women can afford these procedures in the first place that they can afford to pay for education as well...


Yes, day care. That is of utmost importance to single working mothers. Your child is with strangers many hours each day 5 days a week. That would be more important than benefits. Will these children be stigmatized in any way for being illegitimate or not being full Chinese? That's also a huge concern.

Reply
Dec 7, 2019 00:40:07   #
Canuckus Deploracus Loc: North of the wall
 
debeda wrote:
Yes, day care. That is of utmost importance to single working mothers. Your child is with strangers many hours each day 5 days a week. That would be more important than benefits. Will these children be stigmatized in any way for being illegitimate or not being full Chinese? That's also a huge concern.


Stigmaticized... Possibly...

Their mothers appear to have money... So probably not much...

They may not receive ID cards... That is problematic on many levels... Full citizenship is granted only to children born in wedlock... Although it seems to me that mothers can apply for it under certain circumstances...

Reply
 
 
Dec 7, 2019 00:44:30   #
debeda
 
Canuckus Deploracus wrote:
Stigmaticized... Possibly...

Their mothers appear to have money... So probably not much...

They may not receive ID cards... That is problematic on many levels... Full citizenship is granted only to children born in wedlock... Although it seems to me that mothers can apply for it under certain circumstances...


Life would be so much easier if governments weren't involved in anything beyond keeping the lights on, the roads driveable, the goods sold safe, and enforcing simple laws required to maintain civilization. Like 10 commandment laws. Sigh.......

Reply
Dec 7, 2019 00:49:40   #
Canuckus Deploracus Loc: North of the wall
 
debeda wrote:
Life would be so much easier if governments weren't involved in anything beyond keeping the lights on, the roads driveable, the goods sold safe, and enforcing simple laws required to maintain civilization. Like 10 commandment laws. Sigh.......


Agreed...

I used to work with a charity group that provides clthing, education and medical care to children like this...

We also tried to get them proper IDs...

It was heartbreaking knowing that so many opportunities would be denied them due to their parents' mistakes...

Some successes though... Amen

Reply
Dec 7, 2019 00:52:12   #
debeda
 
Canuckus Deploracus wrote:
Agreed...

I used to work with a charity group that provides clthing, education and medical care to children like this...

We also tried to get them proper IDs...

It was heartbreaking knowing that so many opportunities would be denied them due to their parents' mistakes...

Some successes though... Amen


H**e it when kids suffer for stupidity.......

Reply
Dec 7, 2019 06:37:36   #
padremike Loc: Phenix City, Al
 
PaulPisces wrote:
Sounds like women everywhere are taking control of their own bodies and futures!
My prediction is that most men will respond with slings and arrows.

It might be a better strategy, assuming they want to remain relevant in women's lives, for men to explore how they might make themselves more appealing to the needs of women.


It will forever remain "natural" and "normal" for men and women, husbands and wives, to become interdependent!

Reply
 
 
Dec 7, 2019 06:50:34   #
Smedley_buzkill
 
PaulPisces wrote:
Sounds like women everywhere are taking control of their own bodies and futures!
My prediction is that most men will respond with slings and arrows.

It might be a better strategy, assuming they want to remain relevant in women's lives, for men to explore how they might make themselves more appealing to the needs of women.


What sort of future do single mothers offer children? Regarding relevance, Paul, look at the figures for children of single mothers and to a lesser degree single fathers. These kids are far more likely to get in trouble with the law, and in general tend to do more poorly in school. They tend to make less money. Children who grow up in stable, two-parent homes almost always do better in the things that matter. They are themselves more stable and successful than their counterparts in the homes of single parents.

Reply
Dec 7, 2019 07:10:55   #
son of witless
 
PaulPisces wrote:
Sounds like women everywhere are taking control of their own bodies and futures!
My prediction is that most men will respond with slings and arrows.

It might be a better strategy, assuming they want to remain relevant in women's lives, for men to explore how they might make themselves more appealing to the needs of women.


This is not a men-women issue. I am not responsible for C*******t Chinese policies. I am a man and I had nothing to do with this. You frame it a way that I object to.

The Chinese are still trying to do population control. They like to use sledge hammers as fly swatters. All of this is just another example the wealthy using their money to get around tyrannical government rules in order to make choices they should already have. Poor women in a C*******t Country do not have this option.

Again, this is not a man-woman issue. It is a freedom issue. Western verses Chinese C*******t. Nothing more.

Reply
Dec 7, 2019 07:15:31   #
Idaho
 
Smedley_buzk**l wrote:
What sort of future do single mothers offer children? Regarding relevance, Paul, look at the figures for children of single mothers and to a lesser degree single fathers. These kids are far more likely to get in trouble with the law, and in general tend to do more poorly in school. They tend to make less money. Children who grow up in stable, two-parent homes almost always do better in the things that matter. They are themselves more stable and successful than their counterparts in the homes of single parents.
What sort of future do single mothers offer childr... (show quote)


In the US. Do you know that it is the same in other countries? Temperament of the father is paramount to a stable 2 parent family. Having an abusive father is worse than having no father.

Reply
Dec 7, 2019 07:33:29   #
Canuckus Deploracus Loc: North of the wall
 
son of witless wrote:
This is not a men-women issue. I am not responsible for C*******t Chinese policies. I am a man and I had nothing to do with this. You frame it a way that I object to.

The Chinese are still trying to do population control. They like to use sledge hammers as fly swatters. All of this is just another example the wealthy using their money to get around tyrannical government rules in order to make choices they should already have. Poor women in a C*******t Country do not have this option.

Again, this is not a man-woman issue. It is a freedom issue. Western verses Chinese C*******t. Nothing more.
This is not a men-women issue. I am not responsibl... (show quote)


Still?

This is not about population control...

It is about government regulations concerning social stigmatas...

Reply
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