Exploring Epistemic Injustice Through Feminist Social Work Research

Abstract

This article explores women’s experiences of assisted reproduction (AR) and epistemic injustice. Using feminist theory and qualitative data from a social work research project, I argue that the dominant discourse in AR is partial and inadequate and that these epistemological oversights are not accidental; the oversights are actively maintained to preserve power relationships and this constitutes epistemic injustice. Yet women are not completely silenced; elements of resistance and attempts to restore epistemic agency are also presented. The need for an epistemologically inclusive approach to AR and epistemic justice through social work research is reinforced.