Demographic Characteristics of Lesbian Parents in the United States

摘要: Most research on lesbian families draws either nonrepresentative samples or representative of female-partner households. In contrast, this article uses individual-level, nationally survey data to provide a demographic description parents in the United States. Pooling from 2002 and 2006–2010 rounds National Survey Family Growth yielded sample 15,784 women aged 20–44 years, about 1.3 % whom are lesbians. Defining broadly include legal social parents, we find that 23 % lesbians compared 68 % heterosexual 56 % bisexual women. Lesbians become through more diverse set pathways than other women, including adoption parenting spouse partner’s child. Consistent with patterns broader population, but at odds media portrayals, likely nonparents be color foreign-born, most appear have prior relationships. We found evidence, however, convergence follow parenthood, lesbians’ probability biological parenthood increasing their adoptive decreasing between two surveys. Recent changes context improvements medical technology grounds for speculating convergence. recognize, these speculations cannot tested without population-based collection efforts aimed providing richer information diversity family experiences contemporary