Chart: Dynamic Interaction Analysis of Bourdieu’s CapitalFormations (Source: Analysed by author)

The flowchart divides the contracted pregnancy into three stages (pre-contract, pregnancy, and post-delivery stage) and four specific time points (prior to the informed consent, the start of the contract, child delivery, and the date for contract termination). The x-axis represents separate time periods, while the y-axis explains the level of capital accumulated, either positively or negatively. The ebbs and flows of all types of capital formations remain highly self-reflexive from surrogates’ perspectives and are associated with their self-positioning in Indian society, confined to all socioeconomic constraints and their struggle for agency. The dynamic interaction analysis constitutes three original types of Bourdieu’s capital, being economic, cultural, and social. Viewing social capital as an aggregated form of capital, besides emotional capital being the main variant, there are two other underlying sub-variants: one accumulated from ties with intending parents whereas the other within family and local communities.

According to the previous analysis on the forming of all capitals, economic capital is the most direct as it is accumulated positively throughout. It begins with A1 at the start of the contract as some intending parents start to provide monetary and in-kind benefits during surrogate’s pregnancy, and gradually increase across post-delivery stage, at A2 , till contract terminates, atA3 . For cultural capital, it remains negatively accumulated across all stages due to the influence of social stigma. And the fact that cultural knowledge and traditional values have heavily influenced the forming of social capital makes it situate at an even lower and negative entry point, at C1 , than that of social capital, atB1 , and its sub-variant form, at B2.3.1 . Cultural capital increases negatively over time, crossing C2 , reaching its peak during the last few months of pregnancy, and gradually decreases in post-delivery stage passing C3 until contract terminates, atC4 , of which the last point remains roughly the same as C1for the power of Bourdieu’s Habitus may oppress surrogates as it does at the initial status.

Lastly, the trajectory of the original type of social capital (B1to B4 ) fluctuates based on the synergy of the route changing of emotional capital (B2.1.1 to B2.1.4 ) and that of the two sub-variant forms of social capital (B2.2.1 to B2.2.4 &B2.3.1 to B2.3.4 ). Looking firstly at emotional capital, it is formed positively initially, at B2.1.1 , showing the level of autonomy competency acquired by surrogates in relational autonomy when struggling for agency. When entering the contracted pregnancy, atB2.1.2 , emotional capital follows the pattern of original type of social capital from B2 to B4 , continuing to increase during pregnancy and decreasing over time from B2.1.3 toB2.1.4 , terminating roughly at where the initial pointB2.1.1 situates as emotional capital is self-reflexive and thus decreases back to where surrogates initially are socially and culturally. Shifting towards the two sub-variants: one with intending parents and the other with family and local communities, the former only increases after the contract begins, at B2.2.1 , whereas the latter already existed in the negative value in pre-contract stage, atB2.3.1 .

As the social capital with intending parents grows positively over time during surrogate’s pregnancy mainly because of the “gift-giving sisterhood”, it gradually decreases after giving birth, atB2.2.2 , and terminates at B2.2.3 , remaining slightly positive in the hope to have further external social bonding afterwards. Regarding the social capital with family and local communities, it moves similarly as that of cultural capital due to the power of structure and that of emotional capital for being self-reflexive, continuing to negatively accumulate after the contract begins, at B2.3.2 . The interesting flat U-turn before entering the post-delivery stage, atB2.3.3 , symbolises an (possible) enhanced perception by the locals on surrogates (Arvidsson et al, 2017), but then again decreases till the similar level of initial status as the contract terminates, atB2.3.4 , for a more stigmatised perception on surrogates may outperform the positive thinking from family especially husband on their wife.