Women who find sperm donors through informal, online channels tend to prefer ones who are “more intellectual, shy and systematic,” concludes a new study.
The research, by Stephen Whytea of Queensland University of Technology in Australia and Benno Torglerab of the Center for Research in Economics, Management and the Arts (CREMA) in Switzerland, appeared in the October issue of Applied Economic Letters. The authors explore the “informal online market” for sperm donation that has arisen in the face of a shortage of sperm in fertility clinics. In particular, they look at “the characteristics that lead to donor success.”
Their conclusions? Perhaps not surprisingly, “In general, female choices in this informal environment seem carefully thought out.” The specific characteristics women choose, however, might not be as easily guessed:
We find that donor age and income play a significant role in donor success as measured by the number of times selected, even though there is no requirement for ongoing paternal investment. Donors with less extroverted and lively personality traits who are more intellectual, shy and systematic are more successful in realizing offspring via informal donation.
Geeky donors, take heart.
Of course, the study has some limitations. Of the 56 participants, almost all were White (94 percent), straight (84 percent), and living in Australia, Canada, the UK, Italy, Sweden or the U.S. The authors also do not specify whether the women who chose the donors were LBT or straight and cisgender. It remains an open question whether these factors impact desired donor characteristics.
Also of note, although not a focus of the study, was the observation that “73% [of donors] currently had some form of ongoing contact (mail, email, phone, video link or even in person) with at least one of their donor children.” That bodes well for those who wish to build a family through sperm donation and keep the donor as a part of their children’s lives.
When my spouse and I chose our donor, through a fertility clinic, we did indeed choose one who leaned towards the intellectual side of things. I don’t recall him coming across as particularly shy, but we’re a data point of one, in any case, so take it for what it’s worth. What do you all think of these results? Do they match your own experience, or not so much?