And with more and more women authors in the genre, gender/role speculation in hit has become more interesting. Could advanced genetic technology 'allow' XY's pregnancy? Better yet, Could we do away with pregnancy if we so choose, and design artifical wombs?
Radical feminist writer Shulamith Firestone, The Dialectic of Sex wrote about that wrapped with her discussion of socialism
(Got this of of her wiki page)
"So that just as to assure elimination of economic classes requires the revolt of the underclass (the proletariat) and, in a temporary dictatorship, their seizure of the means of production, so to assure the elimination of sexual classes requires the revolt of the underclass (women) and the seizure of control of reproduction: not only the full restoration to women of ownership of their own bodies, but also their (temporary) seizure of control of human fertility - the new population biology as well as all the social institutions of child-bearing and child-rearing. And just as the end goal of socialist revolution was not only the elimination of the economic class privilege but of the economic class distinction itself, so the end goal of feminist revolution must be, unlike that of the first feminist movement, not just the elimination of male privilege but of the sex distinction itself: genital differences between human beings would no longer matter culturally. (A reversion to an unobstructed pansexuality Freud's 'polymorphous perversity' - would probably supersede hetero/homo/bi-sexuality.) The reproduction of the species by one sex for the benefit of both would be replaced by (at least the option of) artificial reproduction: children would born to both sexes equally, or independently of. either, however one chooses to look at it; the dependence of the child on the mother (and vice versa) would give way to a greatly shortened dependence on a small group of others in general, and any remaining inferiority to adults in physical strength would be compensated for culturally. The division of labour would be ended by the elimination of labour altogether (through cybernetics). The tyranny of the biological family would be broken.
Sci Fi writerCJ Cherrhy had part of that concept down 30 years ago in her book Cyteen, as well as the idea of genetics so advanced you could clone and design the type of human being wanted with a combination of genetics and teaching.
I think; How far could genetic engineering contribute to some form of eugenics? "Everyone beautiful"? Since we have been indoctrinated as to what, exactly is beautiful, I don't see that as a good thing, not just yet. Let's start with "Healthy" Now that would be something to shake to world. Healthy, fed, sheltered. just for starters.
I note that it is far harder on a woman to donate an egg, than it is for a man to donate sperm. It would be interesting to see that technology advanced.
2050. 40 years away. What I think is, we will have advanced in nanotechnology to fix certain conditions. Some advance in genetics. And yes, I think we will see more and more so called 'alternative' families. (Perhaps Fully modern Bedache traditions and extended families, with an understanding of gender as a social contruct from an innate sense rather than a social imperative.)
Women are more and more in the sciences. In physics. In engineering. Even In philosophy.
There are several possible dystopian senarios as well, with collapsing economies and coorparate owned governments or just shitty governments. Science benefits only those who can afford those benefits. Common theme.
But, In physics and computer engineering, women and men are wondering about and working on things like just how to go about designing quantum computers. If we reach those kind of milestones, Wow. All bets off.
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