Drowning in a Sea of Estrogens: Sex Hormones, Sexual Reproduction and Sex

Abstract

Contemporary life is taking its toll on sex, according to scientific, environmental and pop-scientific literature. Both women and men are being overwhelmed with estrogens and hormonally active chemicals in their environments - in water, plastics, and food. Such `estrogenization' produces interesting questions about the `nature' of sex, gender and reproduction, and their relations to each other. This paper critically juxtaposes contemporary discourses on estrogenization with feminist work on sex, gender and reproduction. It asks: How might a feminist theorizing of the body take on questions about sex hormones without essentializing sex or reproduction, or underestimating their relevance as biological actors in the production of sex?