Presentation Title: “The Deconstruction and Reconstruction of Gender by Artificial Womb Technology”

Abstract:

The division of gender as being determined by nature or constructed by culture has always been a subject of debate. Bruno Latour opposes the binary division between culture and nature, arguing that culture fundamentally does not exist. Therefore, human physiological structure cannot be the basis for gender culture. With the advancement of technology, the division of gender becomes increasingly linked to technology. Shulamith Firestone believed that true equality could only be achieved by having machines replace women in reproduction, while Donna Haraway proposed the Cyborg Manifesto, aiming to break the binary division between men and women. However, the technologies available during the times of Firestone and Haraway were not mature enough to support their theories. In recent years, there has been rapid development in gender-related technologies. Based on the theories of Firestone and Haraway, Helen Hester and others have put forth Xenofeminism, which states that technology is the key to gender division and gender equality. They argue that technology can change gender, and artificial womb technology can serve as a practical example of Xenofeminism. There are many technologies related to gender and reproduction, but even procedures like gender-affirming surgery cannot change the fact that reproduction requires a female uterus. Gender-affirming surgery alters a person's external appearance to conform to societal norms, challenging the binary division of gender. However, this challenge is not thorough enough, leading to a shift in focus to artificial womb technology. This reexamines whether Firestone's proposal of external gestation, which she put forth as a representative of radical feminism, is the key to gender equality. The development of artificial womb technology has transformed reproduction into a highly technological activity. In the future, there is hope to achieve gestation outside of the female body, freeing mothers from the necessity of being women. Gender-affirming surgery undermines the distinction between women and men in terms of appearance, but artificial womb technology further undermines this distinction at a deeper level of organs. This may imply that it is no longer necessary to endure the pain of surgery to adapt to societal gender norms. Artificial womb technology presents a fresh challenge to the binary division of gender. It can be said that artificial womb technology deconstructs gender roles and serves as the starting point for the technological deconstruction of gender. On the other hand, artificial womb technology also reconstructs gender, providing a new perspective on future modes of reproduction and family structures. The current state of artificial womb technology is unable to completely deconstruct gender, but it serves as a starting point for the technological deconstruction of gender and reveals the potential of technology to reconstruct gender. There are still many noteworthy technologies to come. This year, Professor Katsuhiko Hayashi from Osaka University and his team announced their latest technological achievement: they successfully produced eggs from male cells using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) in mouse experiments and gave birth to offspring using only male cells. Such technologies show us the possibility of eliminating sexual reproduction and the distinction between gender.