After decades of shifts in partnering and childbearing, family diversity (i.e., family forms that exist outside of the married heterosexual nuclear family) has become a key focus of researchers and policymakers alike. Such family forms include cohabiting couples with or without children, multigenerational families, single people and parents, blended and stepfamilies, and same-sex couples and parents. However, for the latter group, the existing research maintains a relatively narrow focus on partnered queer people (i.e., those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or queer, or as having another non-heterosexual orientation). The project broadens this focus by centering instead the social and kinship networks of queer people, thus providing an improved body of sociological and demographic evidence on queer and chosen kin.
The project rethinks who counts as kin and how individuals experience kinship. The terms “family” and “kin” are used interchangeably here to refer to relationships formed by either biological or legal ties (e.g., adoption, marriage), and they are inclusive of nuclear family (i.e., parents and children) and extended family relationships (e.g., cousins, grandparents). The project differentiates between “chosen” and “nonchosen” kin, with the former referring to a nonbiological, nonlegal network that provides support similar to that typically offered by a family – though it is certainly also the case many “nonchosen” kin may form part of a “chosen family.”
The first aim of this project is to understand the family ties and relationships of queer people. While there is a growing body of research on the influence that extended kin, and particularly aunts and cousins, have in the lives of queer people, little is known about the number of queer kin an individual can expect to have, or how this number varies by kin type and gender. Additionally, the quality of queer people’s family ties (including the exchange of resources, support, and care) is not well understood, particularly in the European context. The project provides new evidence on queer kinship, both quantifying (i.e., determining the number and structure) and qualifying (i.e., investigating resource and care transfers, relationship quality, and inter- and intragenerational support) the extended kinship networks of queer people.
The second aim is to investigate the roles chosen kin play in the lives of queer people. Although acceptance of sexual minorities is growing worldwide, queer people continue to experience higher rates of family estrangement and social exclusion than their heterosexual counterparts, and this often translates into greater reliance on chosen kin. The project extends previous research by investigating the role of chosen kin across different life stages and social and legal contexts.
Amid population aging and shrinking kinship structures, the project "Queer and Chosen Kinship" demonstrates how support and solidarity can exist outside of the heterosexual nuclear family. Its findings can be used to inform policy directed at greater inclusion of diverse family forms. Further, the project advances our theoretical understanding of the role the social and legal landscape plays in shaping queer people’s social and kinship ties across contexts.