Lesbian and queer non‐birthing mothers in France, Switzerland, and Québec: Differentiated access to reproductive rights

Abstract

AbstractThe last few decades have seen legal, social, and scientific discourses on lesbian‐parent families change dramatically. Although they had been subject to complete exclusion, these families are increasingly being included in several countries. However, this inclusion varies depending on the national context, which is particularly significant in terms of legal recognition. This article reports on the results of research that looked at the experiences of motherhood in lesbian‐parent families, specifically the experiences of lesbian/queer and/or trans non‐birthing parents in three different national contexts, namely, Québec, France, and Switzerland. As mothers in Switzerland and France do not necessarily benefit from legal recognition of their parental status from the birth of their child (ren), this article will highlight the different strategies they put in place to articulate their motherhood. It will present the ways in which certain legal and social contexts reinforce biological motherhood to the detriment of the mother who has not given birth. In some cases, particularly during a separation of the couple, the mother who has not benefited from legal recognition of her parental status is restricted in her ability to claim her maternity because of a legislative framework that prioritizes the biological mother. This comparative study allows us to better understand how lesbian non‐birthing mothers living in different legal and social contexts think about and articulate their maternity as well as the possibilities they have (or have not) to create their family and develop their maternal identity.