When gay couples become parents, they face a host of questions and issues that their straight counterparts may never have to consider. How important is it for each partner to have a biological tie to their child? How will they become parents: will they pursue surrogacy, or will they adopt? Will both partners legally be able to adopt their child? Will they have to hide their relationship to speed up the adoption process? Will one partner be the primary breadwinner? And how will their lives change, now that the presence of a child has made their relationship visible to the rest of the world?
In Gay Dads: Transitions to Adoptive Fatherhood, Abbie Goldberg examines the ways in which gay fathers approach and negotiate parenthood when they adopt. Drawing on empirical data from her in-depth interviews with 70 gay men, Goldberg analyzes how gay dads interact with competing ideals of fatherhood and masculinity, alternately pioneering and accommodating heteronormative “parenthood culture.”
The first study of gay men's transitions to fatherhood, this work will appeal to a wide range of readers, from those in the social sciences to social work to legal studies, as well as to gay-adoptive parent families themselves. Reviews: "The transition to parenthood is filled with hopes, desires, unexpected twists and turns, and a myriad of emotions. Although typically a joyful experience, it can also be stressful, challenging parents in ways they did not anticipate. This is especially true for families headed by individuals or couples who do not conform to heteronormative models of parenting. In her new book, Abbie Goldberg, a leading developmental scholar on parenting by sexual minority adults, provides an informative, authoritative, and supportive account of the experiences of gay men becoming fathers. Through in depth interviews, qualitative analyses, and useful case examples, Dr. Goldberg captures, in a rich and compelling manner, the way in which these men (re)define gender, parenting, and family life for themselves and others. This timely and important book will have significant impact across diverse areas of scholarship and will provide policymakers with thought provoking ideas about the meaning of parenthood and family." -David Brodzinsky, Ph.D.,Professor Emeritus of Developmental and Clinical Psychology, Rutgers University Abbie E. Goldberg is Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Clark University (Worcester, MA), and senior research fellow at the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute (Newton, MA). She is the author of Lesbian and Gay Parents and their Children: Research on the Family Life Cycle and co-editor of LGBT-Parent Families: Innovations in Research and Implications for Practice.
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