Lesbian Motherhood: Gender, Families and Sexual Citizenship

This timely book explores the 'lesbian baby boom'. Drawing on interviews with lesbian parents in two European countries, Sweden and Ireland, the book examines reproductive decision-making, reproductive healthcare, the everyday spaces of parenthood such as daycare and schools, the negotiation of biology and kinship in families where only one partner is the biological parent, and the possibility for a more flexible approach to gender relations within these families. A rich analysis reveals fascinating findings concerning family formation and social exclusion. Lesbian parents in Sweden had a strong preference for a donor-father, who was actively involved in parenting. In contrast, Irish women largely preferred donors to be completely uninvolved in raising children. This reflects wider cultural discourses about gender and 'the family'. Rather than reduce the analysis to a consideration of the extent to which these families conform to or subvert wider hegemonic discourses, the book argues for an approach to sexuality, kinship and citizenship that avoids such binarisms. This original book offers a unique resource for scholars and students within a range of disciplines, including family studies, gender studies and queer theory.