Narratives about experiences and reflections around same-sex parenting
a portuguese study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29352/mill0205e.05.00291Keywords:
same-sex parenting, family resilience, Portugal, Interpretative Phenomenological AnalysisAbstract
Introduction: In Portugal, despite recent changes in the legal system, the social recognition of same-sex parenting remains difficult. In addition, research on this topic is still in a process of affirmation and has focused primarily on social attitudes, being fundamental to know and understand the perspective of the families themselves.
Objectives: Identify perspectives and experiences related to same-sex parenting.
Methods: Seven lesbians and one gay man who were mothers/father in the context of a previous heterosexual relationship (n = 2) or in a planned lesbian family (n = 6) were interviewed. Their accounts were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.
Results: A view of increased responsibility in parenting emerged in the analysis, translated both in the reflection on and the management of external challenges, namely in parenting practices and in the construction of meaning directed to validate and affirm the family in the social context.
Conclusion: The results contribute to a deeper understanding of experiences surrounding same-sex parenting in the Portuguese context, namely the internal and external resources the participants mobilize in order to adapt to the experienced/anticipated adversity. Implications for both families and professionals who work in this area are presented.
Downloads
References
Aboim, S., Costa, C., & Gomes, N. (2012, julho). Famílias LGBT e políticas públicas. Comunicação apresentada no Seminário Políticas Públicas e Novas Parentalidades organizado pelo Observatório das Famílias e Políticas de Família, Instituto de Ciências Sociais, Universidade de Lisboa.
Alarcão, M. (2006). (Des)Equilíbrios familiares: Uma visão sistémica (3ª ed.). Coimbra, Portugal: Quarteto.
Bos, H. (2013). Lesbian-mother families formed through donor insemination. In A. Goldberg & K. Allen (Eds.), LGBT-parent families. Innovations in research and implications for practice (pp. 21–37). New York, NY: Springer Services+Business Media.
Bos, H., van Balen, F., van den Boom, D., & Sandfort, T. (2004). Minority stress, experience of parenthood and child adjustment in lesbian families. Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology, 22(4), 291–304. DOI: 10.1080/02646830412331298350
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1986). Ecology of the family as a context for human development: Research perspectives. Developmental Psychology, 22(6), 723–742.
Clarke, V. (2001). What about the children? Arguments against lesbian and gay parenting. Women's Studies International Forum, 24(5), 555–570. DOI: 10.1016/S0277-5395(01)00193-5
Costa, P. A., & Bidell, M. (2017). Modern families: Parenting desire, intention, and experience among Portuguese lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals. Journal of Family Issues, 38(4), 500–521. DOI: 10.1177/0192513X16683985
Costa, P. A., Caldeira, S., Fernandes, I., Rita, C., Pereira, H., & Leal, I. (2013). Atitudes da população Portuguesa em relação à homoparentalidade. Psicologia: Reflexão e Crítica, 26(4), 790–798. DOI: 10.1590/S0102-79722013000400020
Costa, P. A., Pereira, H., & Leal, I. (2015). “The contact hypothesis” and attitudes toward same-sex parenting. Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 12(2), 125–136. DOI: 10.1007/s13178-014-0171-8
Gato, J. (2016). Beyond comparison: New trends in research with families with GLB members in Europe. Journal of GLBT Family Studies, 12(1), 1–4. DOI: 10.1080/1550428X.2016.1127095
Gato, J., & Fontaine, A. M. (2016). Attitudes toward adoption by same-sex couples: Effects of gender of the participant, sexual orientation of the couple, and gender of the child. Journal of GLBT Family Studies, 12(1), 46–67. DOI: 10.1080/1550428X.2015.1049771
Gato, J., & Fontaine, A. M. (2017). Predicting attitudes toward lesbian and gay parent families among Portuguese students from helping professions. International Journal of Sexual Health, 29(2), 187–201. DOI: 10.1080/19317611.2016.1268232
Goldberg, A. E. (2010). Lesbian and gay parents and their children: Research on the family life cycle. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Herek, G. M. (2009). Sexual stigma and sexual prejudice in the United States: A conceptual framework. In D. A. Hope (Ed.), Nebraska symposium on motivation: Vol. 54. Contemporary perspectives on lesbian, gay, and bisexual identities (pp. 65–111). New York, NY: Springer Science + Business Media.
Johnson, S. M. (2012). Lesbian mothers and their children: The third wave. Journal of Lesbian Studies, 16(1), 45–53. DOI: 10.1080/10894160.2011.557642
Lei No. 2, fevereiro 29, 2016. (2016). Elimina as discriminações no acesso à adoção, apadrinhamento civil e demais relações jurídicas familiares.
Lei No. 9, maio 31, 2010. (2010). Permite o casamento civil entre pessoas do mesmo sexo.
Lei No. 17, junho 20, 2016. (2016). Alarga o âmbito dos beneficiários das técnicas de procriação medicamente assistida, procedendo à segunda alteração à Lei n.º 32/2006, de 26 de julho.
Ordem dos Psicólogos Portugueses. (OPP). (2013). Relatório de evidência científica psicológica sobre relações familiares e desenvolvimento infantil nas famílias homoparentais. Lisboa: Autor.
Oswald, R. F. (2002). Resilience within the family networks of lesbians and gay men: Intentionality and redefinition. Journal of Marriage and Family, 64(2), 374–383.
Prendergast, S., & MacPhee, D. (2018). Family resilience amid stigma and discrimination: A conceptual model for families headed by same-sex parents. Family Relations, 67(1), 26–40. DOI: 10.1111/fare.12296
Ramos, V., Atalaia, S., & Cunha, V. (2016). Vida familiar e papéis de género: Atitudes dos Portugueses em 2014. Lisboa: Instituto de Ciências Sociais da Universidade de Lisboa.
Smith, J., & Osborn, M. (2008). Interpretative phenomenological analysis. In J. A. Smith (Ed.), Qualitative psychology. A practical guide to research methods (2ª ed., pp. 53–80). London, UK: Sage.
Tasker, F. (2013). Lesbian and gay parenting post-heterosexual divorce and separation. In A. E. Goldberg & K. Allen (Eds.), LGBT-parent families. innovations in research and implications for practice (pp. 3–20). New York, NY: Springer Services+Business Media.
Walsh, F. (2016). Foundations of a Family Resilience Approach. In F. Walsh, Strengthening Family Resilience (3ª ed., pp. 3–21). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
Xavier, P., Alberto, I., & Mendes, F. (2015). Homoparentalidade: da abordagem científica aos normativos legais em Portugal. Psicologia & Sociedade, 27(1), 179-188. DOI: 10.1590/1807-03102015v27n1p179
Xavier, P., Alberto, I., & Mendes, F. (2017). Same-sex parenting: Identification of social representations in a sample of Portuguese professionals. Journal of Homosexuality, 66(2), 274-296. DOI: 10.1080/00918369.2017.1400314
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Authors who submit proposals for this journal agree to the following terms:
a) Articles are published under the Licença Creative Commons (CC BY 4.0), in full open-access, without any cost or fees of any kind to the author or the reader;
b) The authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication, allowing the free sharing of work, provided it is correctly attributed the authorship and initial publication in this journal;
c) The authors are permitted to take on additional contracts separately for non-exclusive distribution of the version of the work published in this journal (eg, post it to an institutional repository or as a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal;
d) Authors are permitted and encouraged to publish and distribute their work online (eg, in institutional repositories or on their website) as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as increase the impact and citation of published work
Documents required for submission
Article template (Editable format)
