The research project described three main goals:
(1) to study pathways to parenthood and variations between groups among LGBTQ people; (2) to analyze the effects of parenthood compared to childlessness on social norms, and also on mental health and relationships;
(3) by intersecting these two goals, to illuminate policy effects on family lives through the perspective of French and US data.
Previous researches have shown that same-sex couples are raising children less frequently than in the past decade, which must be due to challenges encountered through the various process they face to have children on their own rather than in previous heterosexual relationships. Despite this, analyses concerning the ways people became parents are barely provided, and no detailed results include comparative perspectives between groups. LGB people now come out at younger ages than before, which probably reflects social changes in sexual orientation identities. Social constraints for LGB who sometimes lived in heterosexual relationships while being emotionally involved with someone of the same sex are thus probably lower than previously. This requires comparing the experience of parenthood in different age cohorts of LGBTQ people.
Pathways to parenthood must greatly vary depending on gender and sexual identity, and have changed over time:
Our research work shows that format pathways to parenthood (artificial reproductive technologies, adoption) are more common among younger LGBTQ adults, bisexual individuals, and respondents living in states with more progressive policies.
Parenthood may produce better relationships with families of origin compared to childlessness:
Our research work shows that accessing parenthood as LGBTQ can both lead to more acceptance or more rejection within families of origin – and that becoming a parent sometimes leads to unexpected coming out, while making same-sex families more visible.
Subsequently, LGBTQ non-parents may face higher mental health problems than LGBTQ parents do:
Our research work shows that, compared to childfree adults, LGBTQ parents report higher rates of several diseases (i.e. heart diseases, ulcers, and sleep disorders). Those results might be due to specific parental stress and discrimination experienced by LGBTQ parents – as being a parent makes them more visible.
Our results show major and important scientific achievements, such as: major state differences in pathways to parenthood for LGBTQ people, health differences between LGBTQ parents and childfree adults, or effects of parenthood on family relations and disclosure among family members.
