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

Abstract

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.

Higher Levels of Postnatal Depressive Symptomatology, Post-Traumatic Growth, and Life Satisfaction among Gay Fathers through Surrogacy in Comparison to Heterosexual Fathers: A Study in Israel in Times of COVID-19

“…Moreover, it has been suggested that the sense of victory on succeeding to become gay fathers in the Israeli pronatalist sociocultural context, which highly cherishes childrearing and yet imposes restrictions on gay men who want to become fathers, is another possible contributor to the higher levels of life satisfaction and growth found among Israeli gay fathers [22].…”

“…These findings have usually been explained in the context of the Israeli pronatalist and familistic sociocultural atmosphere. In this context, realizing fatherhood desires, especially after contending with the numerous hurdles restricting gay men's access to fatherhood, could lead to a sense of victory and elevated levels of of both hedonic and eudaimonic well-being [22,23]. Similarly, as parenthood is considered a primary path to social acceptance and inclusion in Israel's familistic society, it has been suggested that the transition to fatherhood among gay men may tap into a stronger sense of social acceptance and belongingness that could also explain the elevated levels of well-being [24].…”

Adolescent Development and the Parent–Adolescent Relationship in Diverse Family Forms Created by Assisted Reproduction

“…The examined research was carried out using primarily Western and Westernized samples, which limits the extent to which the findings can be generalized to families in other geographic regions [ 106 , 107 ]. In light of the rapid growth in international fertility procedures worldwide [ 108 ], it is important that future research include families from more diverse geographic locations.…”

Mental Health Disparities Between Lesbian Mothers and Heterosexual Parents: the Mediating Role of Positivity

“…Common explanations for these differences emphasize the deliberate, intentional, and planned nature of sexual minority parenthood, as well as personal psychological resources associated with the ability to contend with the financial and bureaucratic challenges of pursuing parenthood as a sexual minority individual (Shenkman & Shmotkin, 2014;Shenkman et al, 2022c). To date, no research has investigated the specific role played by parents' positivity (i.e., the tendency to view life with a positive outlook) in determining better mental health outcomes among sexual minority parents, relative to heterosexual parents.…”