Donor insemination in Israel. Recipients' choice of donor.

OBJECTIVE

To study the physiognomic preferences of Israeli Jewish recipients of donor insemination.

STUDY

DESIGN

Donors were "scaled" by both their general popularity and their popularity among single women and married recipients. Following this procedure, the donors' physiognomic features were analyzed and interpreted in terms of Israel's sociopolitical system and the influences of the media.

RESULTS

The preferred donor was an educated Ashkenazi Jew who was about 180 cm tall and weighed 72 kg, with straight, light-brown hair and light-colored eyes. This profile deviates from the average features of Israeli men, who are significantly shorter and heavier. The recipients' preferences were noticeably homogeneous, with relatively minor differences between Oriental and Ashkenazi recipients.

CONCLUSION

The recipients' preferences reproduce Israel's class system, in which the Ashkenazi section is dominant. They also are influenced by the media and adopt prevailing body images.