What does it mean to have a child born through donor conception? Does it mean different things for heterosexual parents and lesbian parents? What is it like for the 'non-genetic' parent? How do grandparents feel about having a grandchild who is conceived with the help of an egg, sperm or embryo donor? Since 1991 more than 35,000 children have been born in the UK as a result of donor conception. This means that more and more families are facing the issue of incorporating 'relative strangers' into their families.

In this path breaking book, the authors explore the lived reality of donor...

The second edition of this textbook further establishes the ground-breaking `personal life' approach to sociology. Consolidating the research of multiple experts into one fully revised volume, the text equips readers with the conceptual tools for understanding the micro level of day-to-day life as well as the relationship between personal experiences and wider social phenomena. In this edition, the book extends the range and complexity of what constitutes personal life in sociology, with topics such as the home, political participation, gender, the body and material culture explored in...