Does Same-Sex Marriage Legalization Make Gay Men Want to Have Children? Findings from a Panel Study in Taiwan

Abstract

Introduction This study capitalized on prospective legal change in Taiwan to capture changes in gay men’s desires and attitudes toward parenthood as a function of the legalization of same-sex marriage (SSM). Methods A panel of 731 gay men (mean age = 26.8 years ± 5.81) completed an online survey between 2019 and 2020, shortly before and 1½ years after the legalization of SSM, to report their parenting desire, marital status, and attitudes toward parenthood and marriage. Results This study found that fewer participants in the follow-up survey expressed a parenting desire (59.0% vs. 74.2%), and the perceived importance of parenthood dropped mildly (3.48 to 3.26, Cohen’s d = 0.269). Those who expressed a consistent parenting desire attached greater importance to SSM. The perceived importance of SSM was modestly and positively related to the perceived importance of having a child. Conclusion Although the decrease in parenting desire and its perceived importance may be attributable to a lack of access to family-building options (e.g., surrogacy and adoption) and the COVID-19 pandemic, our findings illustrate that parenthood might become a next step for some Taiwanese male same-sex couples who married or considered marriage. Policy Implications The study findings provide information for policymakers to gauge the possible number of sexual minority men who might want to have a child and consider resource allocation and deliberation on policy changes related to reproduction.

Beyond fertility figures: towards reproductive rights and choices

“…Finally, population-based research on reproductive health and the well-being of individuals in same-sex or other domestic partnerships is a relatively new field of study challenged by the availability and accessibility of relevant data (Reczek et al, 2017). There has also been a lack of policy developments on this front, and many societies have failed to provide the same level of support for childbearing to these groups as heterosexual couples, especially in more conservative societies (Kirubarajan et al, 2021;Lau et al, 2023). Nevertheless, the reproductive choices and decisions of this understudied population are important.…”