Family Policy and Medically Assisted Reproduction across Social Welfare States

Madeline McQuin, Australian National University
Edith E. Gray, Australian National University

Medically assisted reproduction (MAR) plays a pivotal role in addressing challenges linked to genetic, age-related, or relationship-based infertility. Given the growing prominence of MAR and falling global fertility, it is necessary to assess how social welfare states implement family and fertility policy. This paper aims to describe and compare the landscape of family policy pertinent to MAR in Denmark, Australia, Singapore, and Italy. Drawing on a gendered framework of welfare typologies, it is argued that the success of MAR as a fertility policy will depend upon different demographic settings and welfare policy approaches. Analysing the extent and accessibility of MAR services, it can be discerned how these factors are influenced by the overarching welfare policy of the nation. This culminates with a comparison of how differing welfare states address changing fertility trends in relation to MAR policies. It concludes that the MAR policy enacted within a welfare state is an indicator of wider socioeconomic perspectives held by the governing body of the nation.

Keywords: Fertility, Family Planning and Contraception, Economic Demography, Population Policies

See extended abstract.