This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Gartrell, N. Articles by Banks, A. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

The USA National Lesbian Family Study: Interviews with Mothers of 10-Year-Olds

Center of Excellence in Women's Health, University of California, San Francisco; 3570 Clay Street San Francisco, CA 94118, USA ngartrell{at}onebox.com

Carla Rodas

3570 Clay Street San Francisco, CA 94118, USA rodaspina{at}yahoo.com

Amalia Deck

San Francisco General Hospital's Birth Center; 3570 Clay Street San Francisco, CA 94118, USA amaliad{at}sbcglobal.net

Heidi Peyser

3570 Clay Street San Francisco, CA 94118, USA heidipeyser{at}sbcglobal.net

Amy Banks

Jean Baker Miller Training Institute; Harvard Medical School; 3570 Clay Street San Francisco, CA 94118, USA abanks32{at}aol.com

This report from a prospective, qualitative, longitudinal study of 78 USA lesbian families presents data from interviews with 137 mothers of 10-year-old children conceived by donor insemination (DI). Half of the 37 couples who had remained together since the index child's birth reported that the child was equally bonded to both mothers. Among the 30 separated couples, custody was more likely to be shared if the couple had completed a co-parent adoption prior to splitting. There was no difference in relationship longevity when the participants' divorced heterosexual sisters with children were compared with the study couples whose relationships had dissolved. Although 27 children were conceived by known sperm donors, the majority of these men were not regularly involved in the children's lives. The lesbian mothers' own parents had embraced the DI child and were generally ‘out’ about their daughter's lesbian family.

Key Words: lesbian mothers • lesbian families • sexual orientation • same-sex couples • children of lesbian mothers • donor insemination

Feminism & Psychology, Vol. 16, No. 2, 175-192 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/0959-353506062972


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?