A new study by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law finds that 41% of married same-sex couples under the age of 50 surveyed expressed a desire to have children—or additional children—in the future. Similar percentages of cisgender men (39%), cisgender women (41%), and transgender participants (43%) said that they wanted to have children.
The study also found that a significantly larger percentage of participants (61%) viewed biological pathways to parenthood, such as insemination, surrogacy, and in vitro fertilization, as ideal compared to non-biological options like adoption (36%). However, more participants indicated they were likely to pursue adoption or foster care (51%) rather than biological parenthood (41%).
The discrepancy between ideal and likely parenting routes possibly reflects the reality that biological pathways are often financially inaccessible for many same-sex couples. Cost was the top barrier to family building (79%), followed by lacking biological components, such as sperm, egg, or uterus (32%), concerns about discrimination (30%), health insurance coverage (25%), and health challenges (19%).
Using data gathered from 263 married same-sex couples under age 50, researchers examined their current parenting, aspirations for parenthood, perceived barriers, and the role marriage equality played in their interest to parent.
Results show that more than one in four (28%) participants said that getting married increased their interest in parenthood, while 63% said it had not affected their interest.
“Marriage and parenthood are frequently seen as intertwined, particularly within a heteronormative context,” said study author Abbie E. Goldberg, Affiliated Scholar at the Williams Institute and Professor of Psychology at Clark University. “For same-sex couples, the historical unavailability of marriage, combined with the distinct challenges and considerations in forming families, can make the connection between marriage and parenthood unique and complex.”
Additional Findings
Current Parents
- About one-quarter (27%) of married same-sex couples under the age of 50 surveyed had one or more children. Of those with children, 81% were raising at least one child under 18, while 22% only had adult children (18 years or older).
- Almost two-thirds of parents were parents to children they were not biologically related to.
- 26% were stepparents to at least one child, 15% were non-biological parents of at least one child conceived via insemination, and 14% were adoptive parents.
- 40% of the participants said they were not legal parents to all of their children, and 44% said their partners were not.
Desire to Parent
- Among people who did not already have children, 44% said that they very much (18%) or somewhat (26%) wanted children. Among those who already had children, 35% said they either very much (11%) or somewhat (24%) wanted more children.
Parenthood Routes
- Cisgender men were twice as likely to say that adoption was their likely path to parenthood as they were to say that it was their ideal path (64% vs. 36%).
- Cisgender men were much more likely to say that adoption was their most likely path to parenting (64%) compared with cisgender women (22%) and trans people (29%).