Lesbian couples navigate sperm donation, medical treatments, and legal frameworks to create their families. This study explores kinning, the active process of building family bonds, through interviews with 24 expecting couples in the Netherlands.
A new study by Allison Geerts at Swedish Institute for Social Research explores how lesbian couples in the Netherlands shape their families through different conception choices. Published in the Journal of Homosexuality, the study examines how couples strategically navigate sperm banks, known donors, and medical or non-medical insemination methods to create their desired family structures.
Based on 48 interviews with 24 lesbian couples expecting their first child, Geerts applies the concept of kinning – the active process of establishing family bonds. The study highlights that conception decisions are not just about biology but also about affirming the lesbian relationship and managing the donor’s role in family life.
The findings provide insights into how gender roles, biological ties, and legal factors shape family formation.
SOFI’s gender research group GAINS (Gender Analysis and Interdisciplinary research Network, Stockholm) is a cross-disciplinary research environment that aims to facilitate social science research on issues related to gender. Our focus areas include the labor market, health, education, and family relations.
