Familismo, Lesbophobia, and Religious Beliefs in the Life Course Narratives of Chilean Lesbian Mothers

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the life course identity projects of Chilean lesbian mothers who conceived their children within the context of a previous heterosexual relationship. By exploring the case of Chile, this study examined the family lives of lesbian mothers within the context of a Latino heteronormative society with a Christian (mainly Catholic) heritage. Individual interviews were conducted with eight participants aged between 27 and 40 years old (mean age of 33 years) who were recruited through snowballing and social media. A Structural Narrative Analysis of participants' stories was conducted within a Life Course Perspective theoretical framework. The study found that participants initially followed a heterosexual path to conform to their family of origin and social expectations. After building their own heterosexual family projects and having their children with a man, most participants felt pressured to continue within a heterosexual path and postponed their transition to a lesbian identity trajectory despite a growing feeling that a lesbian identity would be personally fullfilling. Although participants felt proud of their identities, they struggled to express their same-gender feelings because lesbians were often seen as inappropriate models for children within Chilean society. Crucially, lesbian mothers continued to be able to count upon support for their parenting from their own mother despite intense disapproval from their family of origin and often continued opposition from ex-husbands/partners. The findings of this study revealed the strong impact of familismo, lesbophobia and Christian religious beliefs on the life course experiences of Chilean lesbian mothers. Implications for therapy and counselling with lesbian mothers living in Latino countries are reviewed.

An Exploratory Evaluation Case Study on Latinx-Maternal Acceptance Promotion of LGBTQ+ Youth Using Participatory Culture-Specific Intervention Modeling (PCSIM) Methods

“…We know that family acceptance, particularly maternal acceptance, is one of the strongest predictors of LGBTQ+ youth mental health and wellness outcomes [3]. In Latinx communities, where the values of familismo, machismo, and religion value mothers' role as caregivers and may present as both strengths and barriers to facilitating familial and maternal acceptance [38,39], it is important that researchers and practitioners have information to help inform them on how to produce culture-responsive programming to support mothers in accepting their LGBTQ+ youth [7]. While programs such as Familias con Orgullo exist [45], this study presents a PCSIM-informed development, implementation, and evaluation of brief programming with Latinx mothers to encourage their acceptance of LGBTQ+ youth and community members.…”

“…Familismo also values parental aspirations for the upward growth of their children through encouraging education, hard work, and ongoing success. In considering how familismo functions for LGBTQ+ Latinx community members, Figueroa and Tasker [39] illustrated narratives by lesbian mothers from Chile, who conveyed they could count on support from their mothers after coming out to them, while simultaneously experiencing intense disapproval from many of their remaining family members. Altogether, familismo depicts that, while Latinx families may struggle accepting the LGBTQ+ part of their children's identities, guidance from the familismo value may present as a family wanting to support their children regardless and overlooking this part of their lives.…”

Family theorizing for social justice: A critical praxis

“…As an example, families accumulate wealth over time, which preserves patterns of inequality by race and class, among other status characteristics (Shapiro, 2017). Other examples relevant to life course theory that provide a critical look at unexamined patterns in family social life include an analysis of how Chilean lesbian mothers grapple with strict religious codes regarding family formation (Figueroa & Tasker, 2020), adverse childhood experiences and long-term outcomes for individuals and families over the life course (Gilligan et al, 2018), and the long-term impact of loneliness on health (Murthy, 2020). Given the intersection of each of these variables with marginalized identities, life course theory has much to offer scholars when it comes to taking a critical look at social determinants of well-being.…”