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Forty-five lesbians who are also parents provided information on their families of creation via a researcher-designed questionnaire. The purpose of the study was to gather descriptive data about the family lives of the women, using an ecological perspective for interpretation of results. The major findings revealed that the women were cognizant of the impact of their sexual orientation on their children, that they were vigilant about maintaining the integrity of their families, and that the stress they felt was buffered by social support networks.

Ninety-one lesbians were surveyed in an effort to determine how homosexual women function within the heterosexual macro-culture and the homosexual micro-culture. Those sampled tended to be young, white, urban, and well-educated professionals. By exploring four major categories (demographics, lesbian lifestyles/homosexual culture, social relationships, and participation in the heterosexual culture) it was found that respondents felt isolated from the heterosexual macro-culture and turn to the homosexual micro-culture for friends, emotional support, and social interaction. It was also discovered that while lesbians do feel isolated from the majority of society, they function productively in a dual role within their general environment.

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