• Why Parenthood?: Gay Men's Motivations for Pursuing Parenthood
  Presented by: Jordan B Downing, April M. Moyer, Abbie E. Goldberg

• Gay Adoptive Fathers' Challenges and Tensions in Balancing Work and Family
  Presented by: Hannah B. Richardson, April M. Moyer, Abbie E. Goldberg

• Breadwinning, ‘New' Fathers, and the Package Deal in the Great Recession
  Presented by: Shelley Pacholok, Jeanna Parsons Leigh, Anne Gauthier

• Father Reactions to Sons' Atypical Gender Behavior
  Presented by: Robby Domenic Harris

Co-sponsored by Research and Theory Section

Abstracts

Why Parenthood?: Gay Men's Motivations for Pursuing Parenthood

Presented by: Jordan B Downing, April M. Moyer, Abbie E. Goldberg

Despite a breadth of research on heterosexual men and women's motivations to parent, no research has specifically examined gay men's motivations to parent. The current study involves a qualitative analysis of 70 gay men's (35 couples') motivations to parent. Given that gay men's decision to pursue parenthood often involves a highly intentional process, this study also examines the factors that men identify as influencing the timing of parenthood. Preliminary results suggest that although many of the men's perceptions reflect similar motivations described by heterosexual couples, their perceptions are also uniquely shaped by their sexual orientation and gender.

Gay Adoptive Fathers' Challenges and Tensions in Balancing Work and Family

Presented by: Hannah B. Richardson, April M. Moyer, Abbie E. Goldberg

This qualitative study of 35 gay adoptive couples (70 men) examined the types of challenges and tensions gay working men face as both parents and working professionals. We examined the ways in which gay fathers' experiences often overlap with heterosexual fathers, in that they are similarly influenced by dominant masculine norms. We also looked at the ways in which their experiences reflect their unique status as sexual minorities. Lastly, we analyzed the ways in which men's careers and class status impacted their experiences, in that many couples were able to draw upon resources not available to most working-class parents.

Breadwinning, ‘New' Fathers, and the Package Deal in the Great Recession

Presented by: Shelley Pacholok, Jeanna Parsons Leigh, Anne Gauthier

Little is known about how fathers navigate the tensions in contemporary discourse in which the notion of the ‘new' involved father rests uneasily alongside the cultural hegemony of the breadwinner-father. We ask, to what extent has the economic downturn, in tandem with the discourse of the ‘new' father, opened up possibilities for reconfiguring fatherhood? Our findings suggest that fathers challenge parochial versions of fatherhood when situations such as job loss prompt them to weigh the costs and benefits of breadwinning. Further, we find that crises, such as the ‘time-crunch' of overtaxing work undermine the hegemony of the breadwinner father.

Father Reactions to Sons' Atypical Gender Behavior

Presented by: Robby Domenic Harris

Gender identity and expression have become raised in public consciousness in the past several years as more states, schools, and communities are including language in their antidiscrimination statements to protect individuals who do not maintain typical gender behavior. However, given the hegemonic nature of expectations for typical gender behavior among young men, it is important for research to highlight means for supporting individuals who do not always conform to gender norms. This project will examine how fathers react to their sons' acts of gender atypicality in hopes of establishing such supports.