Upholding Success: Asian Americans, Egg Freezing, and the Fertility Paradox

Asian American women are turning to oocyte cryopreservation (egg freezing) at rates higher than would be expected, given that Asian Americans make up less than six percent of the total United States population. Based on ethnographic interviews with 23 women of East, Southeast, and South Asian ancestry, we examine the "fertility paradox" faced by highly educated Asian American professional women. Despite achieving multiple "pillars of success," these women have difficulty finding educated partners with whom to pursue childbearing. Egg freezing offers feelings of empowerment and relief from pressure for Asian American women, holding open the possibility of future biogenetic motherhood.