Attachment avoidance and parenthood desires in gay men and lesbians and their heterosexual counterparts

Abstract

Objective: We explored the desire to be a parent, attachment avoidance and their associations in a sample of gay men and lesbians and their heterosexual counterparts. Background: Previous research suggested a link between minority stress and higher attachment avoidance. However, the association between attachment avoidance and parenthood desires as a function of sexual orientation was not studied. Methods: The sample was composed of 883 community-dwelling participants (51.1% women, 30.57% identified as gay men and 14.15% as lesbians) that were recruited through convenience sampling.Results: Gay men and lesbians reported less desire to be parents than their heterosexual counterparts and higher attachment avoidance. However, the association between attachment avoidance and less desire for parenthood was moderated by sexual orientation, such that the correlation between attachment avoidance and lesser desire for parenthood was only found for heterosexual men and women. Conclusion: These findings pinpoint the potential vulnerability of gay men and lesbians to develop greater attachment avoidance and the impact of sexual orientation on the association between attachment avoidance and the desire to be a parent. The moderation effect is discussed in terms of the specific reproductive alternatives available to gay men and lesbians vs. the heterosexual population.

Deciding to parent or remain childfree: Comparing sexual minority and heterosexual childless adults from Israel, Portugal, and the United Kingdom.

“…In Israel, same-sex marriage is not yet legal within the country and adoption as well as surrogacy prospects are extremely curtailed (Costa & Shenkman, 2020). Prior studies have suggested that facing such legal hurdles alongside other financial, bureaucratic, and biological challenges, when trying to become a parent, may explain reports of medium size effects, indicating lowered aspirations for parenthood among LGB individuals than among heterosexual men and women (Gato et al, 2020; Shenkman et al, 2019). Interestingly, a recent study comparing LGB people from Portugal and the United Kingdom showed that despite the more progressive legislation in the United Kingdom, LGB individuals in Portugal showed greater aspiration to parenthood than did LGB peers in the United Kingdom, indicating that broader cultural processes rather than legislation alone may better explain these national differences (Leal et al, 2019).…”

Desire for Parenthood in Context of Other Life Aspirations Among Lesbian, Gay, and Heterosexual Young Adults

“…Research has established that lesbian and gay individuals report lower aspirations for parenthood than do heterosexual individuals (Patterson and Riskind, 2010; Riskind and Patterson, 2010; Baiocco and Laghi, 2013; Riskind and Tornello, 2017; Jeffries et al, 2019; Leal et al, 2019; Shenkman et al, 2019; Tate et al, 2019). As we use the term here, parenthood aspirations include: (1) parenthood desires, i.e., how much people want to become parents, (2) parenthood expectations, i.e., how likely people think they are to become parents, and (3) parenthood intentions, i.e., whether people are planning to pursue parenthood (Gato et al, 2017; Tate and Patterson, 2019a).…”

“…Lesbian and gay individuals typically have lower parenthood aspirations than heterosexual individuals, and scholars have studied reasons for this finding (Goldberg et al, 2007, 2012; Robinson and Brewster, 2014; Simon et al, 2018; Scandurra et al, 2019; Shenkman et al, 2019; Tate et al, 2019). Lesbian and gay people, both in the U.S. and abroad, face many more societal barriers that limit their access to parenthood than do most heterosexual individuals (Berkowitz and Marsiglio, 2007; Goldberg et al, 2007, 2012; Robinson and Brewster, 2014; Blake et al, 2017; Scandurra et al, 2019; Leal et al, 2019).…”

Childfreedom and Responsibility: An Existential‐Feminist Framework for Counselors

“…Such deliberations, predicated upon the ideal conditions in which to raise a child, may not feel as though one is exercising unfettered agency. Reduced desire for parenthood among lesbian women has been associated with a barrage of legal and social obstacles, including restrictions on adoption, denials of service from medical providers, and prohibitive financial costs of surrogacy and adoption (Shenkman et al, 2019).…”