Transition to Parenthood and Parental Roles

This entry is focused on the interactive process and challenges that LGBTQ people face as they transition into parenthood, as well as on their parental roles. The significance of the transition to parenthood will be explored and the subtle and profound issues that are unique to LGBTQ parents as compared to their heterosexual counterparts will be examined. The effects of the transition to parenthood on the parents themselves will be discussed.

Moreover, the roles of parents’ race, socioeconomic status, gender, and other identities in their transition to parenthood experience are examined, in an effort to understand the implications of intersecting identities for the transition to parenthood experience. This entry concludes with how “traditional” parental roles are performed and challenged by LGBTQ parents.