Sexual orientation and the desires and intentions to become parents

Abstract

This is the first study in Italy to evaluate parenting desires and intentions, the value of parenthood and individual perception of competence as a parent in an Italian sample of lesbian women (N = 201), gay men (N = 199) and heterosexual participants (female = 314 and male = 216) 18-35 years of age. Childless lesbian and gay individuals were less likely than their heterosexual peers to report parenting desires and intentions. Data suggested that lesbians and gay male participants reported a lower level of enrichment and less confidence in receiving social support as parents than their heterosexual counterparts. Regression analysis indicated that sexual orientation is the best predictor of desires and intentions for women and men participants. Our findings suggest that, while some Italian lesbian and gay people want to become parents, their intentions probably founder due to the difficulty to access to adoption, donor insemination or surrogate maternity

The Interplay Between Religious Orientations, State Secularism, and Gay Rights Issues

“…Finally, with regard to adoption by same-sex couples, only 19% of Italians are favourable (Eurispes, 2009). Regarding the attitude of gay men and lesbians towards same-sex families and their intention to become parents, studies conducted in the Italian context showed that they have a positive attitude toward same-sex family legalization, but they have lower desire and intentions to become parents as compared to heterosexuals; moreover, these variables are negatively related to internalised sexual stigma (Baiocco et al, 2014;Baiocco & Laghi, 2013). These results indicate that Italian gay men and lesbians have, in some way, complied with the impossibility to have a recognized family in Italy.…”

“…For example, studies conducted in Italy, with gay males and lesbian participants, Religious Orientation,Secularism,and Gay Rights 83 showed that 56.3% of lesbians and 40.3% of gay men desire to marry (Baiocco et al, 2014); and 51.8% of gay men and 60.7% of lesbians desire to become parents (Baiocco & Laghi, 2013). However, the discussion on the regulation of sexual minorities' rights, such as same-sex marriage and adoption by same-sex couples, continues to generate disagreement.…”

‘It's a bit too much fathering this seed’: the meaning-making of the sperm donor in Italian lesbian mother families

“…Despite the legal vacuum and the homophobic stigma (Baiocco et al, 2015;Lingiardi et al, 2016), an increasing number of gay men and lesbian women are becoming parents (Baiocco and Laghi, 2013;Baiocco et al, 2014). When lesbian women decide to have children within their current relationship, they have to turn to third-party reproduction offering a spectrum of possibilities regarding both donor arrangement (from open-identity to anonymous) and degrees of familiarity with the donor (from family members to strangers living in other countries).…”

Adoção de crianças por casais homossexuais: as representações sociais

“…Salienta-se que a nova lei da adoção, nº 12.010/2009, e como parte da população se mostrando adepta, é sabido que há entre os casais homossexuais um receio em adotar, posto que ainda existem barreiras psicossociais e institucionais inerentes ao processo de adoção na famí-lia homoparental na vida em sociedade (Baiocco & Laghi, 2013).…”