Gay fathers’ pathways to parenthood (original) (raw)
Related papers
Gay fathers’ pathways to parenthood: International perspectives
Zeitschrift für Familienforschung (Journal of Family Research), 2011
How have gay men achieved parenthood? We studied pathways to parenthood among 102 gay fathers in predominantly English speaking countries outside the United States (i.e., Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom) who responded to an internet survey. Fully 95% of men over 50, but only 53% of those under 50 years of age reported that they had fathered children in the context of heterosexual marriages. In contrast, only 5% of those over 50, but 47% of those under 50 years of age reported that they had become fathers via foster care, adoption, or other pathways outside of heterosexual marriage. The findings are consistent with earlier findings that suggest a generational shift in pathways to parenthood among gay men in the United States, and raise the possibility that the same shift may be underway among gay men in other predominantly English speaking countries.
Gay fathers' reproductive journeys and parenting experiences: a review of research
Journal of Family Planning and Reproductive Health Care, 2014
Over the past decade growing numbers of gay men have sought and found ways to become parents, including through surrogacy, giving birth, adoption, and fostering. These modes of family formation are situated alongside pre--existing modes of family formation available to gay men, specifically in heterosexual relationships and through donating sperm to lesbian recipients.
Age, life pathways, and experiences of gay fathers: Life course perspective
Journal of GLBT Family Studies, 2014
How have men become gay fathers and how have their decisions about parenthood shaped their experiences? In this study of 739 gay fathers from across the United States, we explored generational changes in timing of parenthood and its association with identity development, sexual orientation disclosure, and social support. In this sample, most men over 50 years of age, but only a minority of younger men, reported that they had fathered children in the context of heterosexual relationships. In contrast, few of those over 50, but most of the younger men, reported that children joined their family in the context of a same-sex relationship. Moreover, timing of parenthood was the strongest predictor of the fathers’ experiences of sexual identity development, disclosure, and social support. The findings are consistent with the idea that a generational shift is underway and that this shift has important implications for gay fathers’ experiences.
Why Parenthood, and Why Now? Gay Men's Motivations for Pursuing Parenthood
Family Relations, 2012
The current qualitative study of 35 pre-adoptive gay male couples (70 men) examined gay men's motivations to parent and their reasons for pursuing parenthood at the current time. Similar to heterosexual couples, gay men described a range of psychologically-oriented reasons as shaping their decision to become parents. Some of these (e.g., desire to teach a child tolerance) may have been uniquely shaped by their sexual minority status, and others (e.g., desire to give a child a good home) in part reflect their adoptive status. Men named age, finances, and relationship factors, as well as unique contextual factors such as the need to find and move to gay-friendly neighborhoods, as influencing their readiness to pursue parenthood at the current time. Gay men's motivations to parent echo normative life course decision-making processes, but also reflect concerns that are uniquely informed by their sexual minority status.
Are the Fathers Alright? A Systematic and Critical Review of Studies on Gay and Bisexual Fatherhood
Frontiers in Psychology
The purpose of the present systematic and critical review was to assess the findings and to identify the gaps in the literature concerning gay and bisexual fathers. A comprehensive search of relevant literature using electronic databases and reference lists for articles published until December 2016 was conducted. A total of 63 studies, spanning from 1979 to 2016, were collected. More than half of the studies were published after 2011 and the overwhelming majority were conducted in the United States. Nine themes were identified in the studies reviewed: (1) Pathways to fatherhood; (2) Motivations for fatherhood; (3) Parenting experiences and childrearing; (4) Family life and relationship quality; (5) Gender and father identities and gender-role orientation; (6) Disclosure of sexual identity; (7) Social climate; (8) Father's psychosocial adjustment; and (9) Children's psychosocial adjustment. It was found that research on gay fatherhood appears to be more heterogeneous than on lesbian motherhood, perhaps because of the variety of pathways to parenthood (via co-parenting, adoption, fostering, or surrogacy). Two-father families are becoming more visible in research on sexual minority parenting and gradually transforming the conceptualization of parenting in family research.
Gay Men: Negotiating Procreative, Father, and Family Identities
Journal of Marriage and The Family, 2007
Our qualitative study examines the social psychology of gay men’s experiences with their procreative, father, and family identities. In-depth interviews were conducted with 19 childless gay men and 20 gay men in the United States who have fathered using diverse means excluding heterosexual intercourse. By focusing on men aged 19 – 55 residing primarily in Florida and New York, our novel analysis illuminates how emerging structural opportunities and shifting constraints shape gay men’s procreative consciousness. Findings reveal that gay men’s procreative consciousness evolves throughout men’s life course, and is profoundly shaped by institutions and ruling relations, such as adoption and fertility agencies, assumptions about gay men, and negotiations with birth mothers, partners, and others.
Reproductive Biomedicine & Society Online, 2019
This retrospective study surveyed decision-making and challenges among 78 gay cisgender male couples utilizing in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and a gestational carrier. While most couples (67.1%) found the decision to actively pursue fertility treatment 'not difficult', 32.9% felt that it was 'somewhat difficult' or 'very or extremely difficult'. Almost 30% of couples had not undertaken financial planning for treatment, which introduced delays of N 2 years for 25.3% of participants. Conceiving twins was 'important to very important' in 52.3% of couples, and 84.2% of couples chose to transfer two embryos to 'increase the odds' or reach an ideal family size in a single attempt despite increased complications with multiple pregnancies. Paternal leave was granted for one partner in 47.3% of couples, and for both partners in 43.2% of couples. One-third of couples reported experiencing discrimination, prompting a partner to seek employment, and 38% changed jobs or careers. For 80.3% of couples, the estimated cost exceeded US$100,000. Couples where one partner was aged N 50 years were significantly more likely to find the decision to actively pursue fertility treatment 'very or extremely difficult' (28.6%), and less likely to agree on becoming parents (64.3%). Gay male couples undergoing assisted reproduction face challenges regarding decision-making, lack of infertility benefits and discrimination, which appear to be
Becoming fathers : family formation by gay men in Hong Kong and Taiwan
University of Hong Kong Libraries, 2020
This study investigated the phenomena of gay men becoming fathers in Hong Kong and Taiwan, focusing on their personal experiences as they sought to realize the viability of their own procreative desires. Gay male parented families challenge the heteronormative and patriarchal ideal imbedded of family prevalent in the culture of Hong Kong and Taiwan. By investigating their experiences, through an intersectional lens this study sought to identify constructed systems of oppression and privilege facilitating or hindering the ability of other gay men to achieve their procreative goals of fatherhood. The achievement of gay men becoming fathers outside of heterosexual relationships is an act of political disruption. Using critical inquiry, practically guided by grounded theory, this study sought to understand the lived experiences of gay men in Hong Kong and Taiwan as they proactively move to become fathers. Grounded theory as detailed by Corbin and Strauss (2014) used in this study is an inductive process and seeks to develop a general theory through the analysis of a unique and specific social phenomenon. The goal was not statistical generalizability, nor being able to describe a broad population, but analytic generalizability of a unique situation or phenomenon. In this case the grounded theory developed from this study centers on the interplay of paternal relationships, cultural values, and the negotiation of obligations and role fulfillment. A theory addressing the dissonance caused by their choosing to not hide their homosexuality, and then repaired by their becoming a father. The broader aim of this study is to advocate for the right of all people to equitably participate in family formation systems, while understanding structures which potentially hinder such involvement. Understanding locations of increased oppression allows for the development of an advocacy agenda, and the creation of supportive services to champion gay men and other sexual minorities who seek family formation by non-traditional means. The results illustrate a considerable interplay between the social, political and cultural systems which create formidable power systems of prejudice and oppression. Systems which have shown can be minimized or negated with personal privilege. The influence of family and culture on the development of a procreative identity can be partially explained through the cultural concepts of filial obligation and face. The study results confirm a reconciled gay-father identity is possible and acceptable. This identity is not an attempt to ‘pass’ or be excepted as a sub-category of the heterosexual male identity, but one that exists in tandem with other accepted and celebrated male identities. The family formation actions of the gay fathers included in this study change the normative view of the institution of the family; however, this action is not assimilationist in nature. The political act of family formation by gay man seeks to define a new family, one that is normal and acceptable, and not a diminished version of an existing family definition. This research study was reviewed and approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) of the University of Hong Kong as detailed under HREC reference number EA1802088.