Mothers in same‐sex relationships—Striving for equal parenthood: A grounded theory study

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To get a deeper understanding of how mothers in same‐sex relationships think and reason about their parenthood in terms of gender equality, and how they experience early parental support from child healthcare professionals. BACKGROUND: There is an increasing amount of research on how women in same‐sex relationships experience healthcare services when forming a family. Yet there is limited knowledge of what kind of early parental support these women may request. DESIGN: Grounded theory. Follows guidelines for qualitative research (COREQ). METHOD: Twenty women ranging from 25 to 42 years of age participated in semi‐structured interviews. Data collection and analysis took place in parallel, as recommended in grounded theory methodology. RESULTS: The results are described by the core category Same‐sex mothers request professional support to achieve equal parenthood, which includes five categories: (a) equality in everyday life, (b) diversity in mother and child attachment, (c) justification of the family structure, (d) ambivalent thoughts about their child's future and (e) a special need for networking and request for professional support. These findings provide a deeper understanding of how same‐sex mothers experience their parenthood and the parental support that is offered. CONCLUSION: Child healthcare professionals need to be sensitive and recognise both mothers as equal parents and offer early parenting groups where two‐mother families feel included and supported. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Healthcare professionals need to be aware of diverse family formations and meet each parent as a unique individual without heteronormative assumptions. Same‐sex mothers must be treated as equal parents and acknowledged as mothers. Healthcare professionals should offer inclusive and supportive parental groups to same‐sex families. They should also inform and support nonbirth mothers about the possibility to breastfeed.