Fertile Connections: Thinking across Assisted Reproductive Technologies and Parenting Culture Studies:

While studies of ‘parenting culture’ and ‘assisted reproductive technologies’ are now well-established areas of social science scholarship, so far, the potential connections between the two fields have not been significantly explored. Responding to calls for a more ‘processual’ approach to studying reproduction in order to make clearer contributions to sociological theory more broadly, we begin a dialogue between these mutually relevant bodies of literature, highlighting connections and crosscutting findings. We focus on four interlinked themes – Reflexivity, Gender, Expertise and Stratification – and promote a more holistic approach to understanding how children are conceived and cared for within the current ‘Euro-American’ reproductive landscape. By way of conclusion, we draw attention to the contemporary context of ‘anxious reproduction’ and propose directions for future research.