Constrained Choices: Navigating Agency and Social Structures in Sperm Donor Selection.

Abstract

This study examines how intended parents in Canada navigate the process of sperm donor selection under institutional, interpersonal and material constraints. Drawing on qualitative interviews with parents (N = 40) from diverse family configurations (heteroparental, lesboparental and soloparental), it explores how donor selection is not a purely autonomous decision but a negotiated practice shaped by regulatory ambiguity, limited donor availability, emotional investments and intracouple dynamics. Grounded in negotiated order theory, the analysis emphasises the provisional, iterative nature of decision-making within fertility clinics and donor databases-understood as intersecting social worlds within a broader reproductive arena. Findings show that initial parental preferences (e.g., donor resemblance, identity disclosure and medical history) are shaped by normative kinship ideals and are often compromised over time due to structural constraints or evolving priorities. This study contributes to the sociology of health and illness by reconceptualising donor selection as a situated negotiation, where choice is exercised relationally and within unequal institutional landscapes. It also identifies avenues for future research and policy reform, including clearer clinical guidance, improved access to donor information and stronger alignment with donor-conceived persons' rights.