Minority stress in an improved social environment: Lesbian mothers and the burden of proof

Peleg, Alona; Hartman, Tova

doi:10.1080/1550428x.2018.1556141

Cited by 16 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Although the couples reported appreciating a sense of equality in their relationship, the birth of a child formed two different statuses of motherhood, a biological mother and a nonbiological mother, a distinction with legal and social consequences. In another study, interviews were conducted with 40 women in planned lesbian families in Tel Aviv [ 76 ] regarding their experience of motherhood. The findings suggest that these women struggle with an added stress to those included in the minority stress model: the burden to prove to themselves and to predominantly heterosexual society that they are accomplished and worthy mothers.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Future studies focusing on LGBTQ parent families should pay attention to possible methodological biases relating to individual social desirability and parental social desirability. LGBTQ parents may feel they need to prove to predominantly heterosexual society that they are accomplished and worthy parents, e.g., [ 76 ], which might be linked with socially desirable responses that may bias results. Therefore, we recommend that future studies comparing LGBTQ with heterosexual parent families should measure and control for individual and parental social desirability, alongside other possible biases such as in the selection of participants [ 81 , 82 , 83 ].…”

Section: Discussion: What Remains To Be Exploredmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Lesbian mothers reported on a specific stress related to a burden to prove to themselves and to heterosexual society that they are accomplished and worthy mothers [ 76 ]; qualitative design, n = 40.…”

Section: Tablementioning

confidence: 99%

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What We Know and What Remains to Be Explored about LGBTQ Parent Families in Israel: A Sociocultural Perspective

Shenkman

Segal‐Engelchin

Ben‐Ari

2022

IJERPH

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This paper reviews research on gay and lesbian parent families in Israel through cultural lenses while recognizing the diversity of these families. The major aims of the review are: (1) to provide an overview of the situation of LGBTQ parent families in Israel, as well as of the sociocultural background of the Israeli context and its effects on sexual minorities and LGBTQ parent families; and (2) to identify the limitations and lacunas in the existing research and shed light on what remains to be explored. We searched numerous databases for relevant studies, adopting a narrative approach to summarize the main findings while taking into account the literature on the socio-cultural context in Israel and its impact on sexual minorities and LGBTQ parent families. The search yielded empirical results only for gay and lesbian parent families, with studies emphasizing the challenges they face and the factors related to their well-being and that of LGB individuals aspiring to become parents. In addition, it revealed that research on children’s psychosocial adjustment as a function of parental sexual orientation is quite scarce in Israel. Moreover, it indicated the absence of investigations of bisexual, transgender, or queer parents. We conclude that the sociocultural context of Israel, including its pronatalist and familistic orientation, may play an important role in shaping the experiences of LGBTQ parent families, and should be taken into consideration when studying LGBTQ parents.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussion: What Remains To Be Exploredmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

What We Know and What Remains to Be Explored about LGBTQ Parent Families in Israel: A Sociocultural Perspective

Shenkman

Segal‐Engelchin

Ben‐Ari

2022

IJERPH

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show abstract

“…Taking both heterosexism and the stress of belonging to a minority into account reveals a clearer picture of participants' desire to normalize their couple and family structure (Hequembourg, 2004; Peleg & Hartman, 2019) and to downplay the parts of their lives that marginalize them on a day‐to‐day basis. How they choose to describe their family situation may constitute a mesosystemic strategy to neutralize or mediate the combined effects of the stigma associated with both lesbian parenthood and blended families (Ganong & Coleman, 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…External heterosexist1 views of their acts, behaviour and attitudes can create feelings of additional pressure to exceed expectations and dispel myths and prejudices associated with lesbians' parental skills and relationship stability (Rickards & McLeod, 2016). Whether experienced or anticipated, daily microaggressions and negative perceptions such as ‘the children won't have a stable home because they're surrounded by divorced lesbians’ amplify the pressure to create an exemplary family as a means to defend against disparaging remarks and personal attacks (Peleg & Hartman, 2019). For some lesbians, parental separation creates intense feelings of failure and guilt (Riggle, Rostosky, & Horne, 2010).…”

Section: Current State Of Knowledgementioning

confidence: 99%

Lovers for a time, mothers for life: Ecosystemic analysis of blended family experiences of lesbian mothers and stepmothers

Lavoie

Saint‐Jacques

2020

Child & Family Social Work

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This article presents results of a qualitative study of blended lesbian-headed families with children from previous same-sex relationships. Conducted in partnership with the LGBT Family Coalition, this study adopts an ecosystemic approach to document the experiences of parental separation and family blending of 17 (n = 17) lesbian mothers and stepmothers in the province of Quebec, Canada. The challenges these women face in these periods of transition, particularly in terms of postseparation co-parenting and family reorganization, are analysed with particular concern for the daily stresses of heterosexism and membership in a sexual minority. Various strategies used to overcome these challenges, the positive outcomes of creating blended families and the stepmother's place and role within the family are examined. A discussion of the support and intervention needs of these families concludes the paper.

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I Am More than HIV: A Qualitative Exploration of Factors That Can Strengthen Resilience Among HIV-Positive Gay Men in Australia

2023

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Introduction HIV-positive gay men continue to experience stigma related to sexual orientation and HIV status. Although resilience toward such stressors can be achieved, limited Australian research exists that examines how resilience is strengthened toward these dual stigmas. Methods A total of 20 men from Melbourne, Australia, participated in semi-structured interviews between March and October 2019 to explore ways in which they manage such stigmas. Results Reflexive thematic analysis identified two primary themes: (1) “intrapersonal control,” which relates to individual mind set and lifestyle changes that participants utilized to strengthen resilience; (2) “systemic change,” which includes participants’ needs for better public health messaging. Findings show resilience was enhanced when proactive approaches to sexual orientation, HIV health appraisal, lifestyle changes, and social support were made. Further, outdated HIV awareness campaigns and a lack of current messaging regarding HIV transmission in the wider community were identified as inhibiting resilience development and promoting stigma among gay men. Conclusion The results from this study show ways that Australian gay men strengthen their resilience through both intrapersonal (e.g., self-awareness, reappraisal, and self-efficacy) and external resources (e.g., education and public awareness) and how health care providers and social policy makers could better support the men to achieve this. Social-Policy Implications Findings suggest that targeted public health responses are required to compliment the advances made in biomedicine and viral suppression.

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Minority stress in an improved social environment: Lesbian mothers and the burden of proof

Cited by 16 publications

References 42 publications

What We Know and What Remains to Be Explored about LGBTQ Parent Families in Israel: A Sociocultural Perspective

What We Know and What Remains to Be Explored about LGBTQ Parent Families in Israel: A Sociocultural Perspective

Lovers for a time, mothers for life: Ecosystemic analysis of blended family experiences of lesbian mothers and stepmothers

I Am More than HIV: A Qualitative Exploration of Factors That Can Strengthen Resilience Among HIV-Positive Gay Men in Australia

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