‘What Does Donor Mean to a Four‐Year‐Old?’: Initial Insights into Young Children's Perspectives in Solo Mother Families

Abstract

This study reports on the questions, thoughts and feelings of children aged 4–9 conceived by donor insemination to single mothers. Fifty‐one mothers and 47 children from the same families were each administered a semi‐structured interview. Mothers generally reported that while children either lack understanding, or have not yet been told, about their donor conception, they may be thinking and talking about the absence of a father. Most children did not mention either donor conception or father absence and reported positive feelings about their families and friendships. Possible explanations for the discrepancy between mothers’ and children's reports are discussed.

The perspectives of adolescents conceived using surrogacy, egg or sperm donation

“…It is noteworthy that a minority of adolescents described feeling concerned that their interest in their conception might upset the parent to whom they have no genetic connection, a finding that echoes earlier research ( Scheib et al , 2005 ; Jadva et al , 2009 ; Beeson et al , 2011 ). With regards to their peers, as in research on donor-conceived children raised by single women and lesbian couples ( Vanfraussen et al , 2002 ; Raes et al , 2015 ; Van Parys et al , 2016 ; Zadeh et al , 2017a ), a minority of adolescents also described issues arising from peers’ lack of understanding of reproductive donation, and in particular, surrogacy.…”

“…The body of empirical evidence on donor-conceived offspring’s perspectives is growing, but it is often limited to non-representative samples of adults conceived by sperm donation ( Turner and Coyle, 2000 ; Hewitt, 2002 ; Cushing, 2010 ; Mahlstedt et al , 2010 ; Blyth, 2012 ; Harrigan et al , 2015 ). Studies of the views of donor-conceived children have tended to focus on children raised by single women ( Zadeh et al , 2017a , 2017b ) or lesbian couples ( Vanfraussen et al , 2001 , 2002 , 2003 ; Tasker and Granville, 2011 ; Malmquist et al , 2014 ; Van Parys et al , 2016 ; Raes et al , 2015 ). The only study to have sought the perspectives of donor-conceived and surrogacy children raised in heterosexual two-parent families is the UK Longitudinal Study of Assisted Reproduction Families ( Blake et al , 2010 , 2014 ; Jadva et al , 2012 ).…”

Parenting and the Adjustment of Children Born to Gay Fathers Through Surrogacy

“…The aim of the present investigation was to conduct a controlled, in‐depth study of gay father families created through surrogacy with children who were old enough to understand that their family structure differed from that of other children. The study focused on families with children aged at least 3 years, as it is not until age 3 that adopted children acquire a rudimentary understanding of having been born into a different family (Brodzinsky, ), and children in single‐parent families become aware that their family differs from the traditional family with a mother and a father (Zadeh, Freeman, & Golombok, ). The upper age limit of age 9 was chosen to optimize the sample size of this emerging family form while ensuring the appropriateness of the measures across the age range.…”

The Presentation of Donor Conception in Young Adult Fiction

“…But, to date, donor-conceived children who are older report that their experiences are not covered in standard sex education units and thus they have to explain their lives to their peers (Hertz & Nelson, 2019). As Zadeh, Freeman, and Golombok (2016b) have recommended, teachers might have more materials available to might help children better understand the issue of donor conception and relieve donor-conceived children from the burden of explanation.…”