Lesbian Motherhood

RÓISÍN RYAN-FLOOD is a Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Essex. Her research interests include gender, sexuality and citizenship. She is co-editor of Secrecy and Silence in the Research Process: Feminist Reflections (Routledge, 2009). Her current research explores identity, diaspora and sexual citizenship

'opens up a range of fascinating debates about lesbian parenting decisions' - European Journal of Women's Studies 'offers a unique and original exposition of the complex and multi-faceted issues contemporary lesbians face when deciding to become parents' - Feminism and Psychology '...an invigorating discussion of the ways in which state policy inflects the desire for and experience of parenthood for lesbians. Through her gaze, questions of sexual citizenship assume new breadth and complexity, and the reader is encouraged to rethink the vexed issues of assimilation vs. subversion as they have shaped discussions of LGBT family and parenthood.' - Journal of Contemporary Sociology '...[an] extraordinary book...The complexity and subtlety of Ryan-Flood's analysis prevents a simplistic reading of actions and decisions made by lesbian parents as either oppressions or resistance...This timely book will be of interest to academics and researchers interested in social changes and challenges around the institution and everyday practices of the family, in social policy and family law and reproductive technologies, as well as to scholars of queer theory and to those interested in lesbian and queer lives.' - Studies in the Maternal '...a timely contribution to current US debates on the definition of marriage and its impact on families...By using the narratives of lesbian couples to uncover their personal beliefs, struggles and triumphs while attempting to build their own families in a culture that continues to privilege heterosexual families, makes this book a unique contribution. This highly engaging text is suitable for any upper-level undergraduate or graduate courses in sociology, women's studies, and social policy that delve into dynamics of citizenship, gender and sexuality.' - Canadian Journal of Sociology '...a unique and original exposition of the complex and multi-faceted issues contemporary lesbians face when deciding to become parents, along with the ensuing concerns and issues that parenthood itself brings.' - Feminism and Psychology '...opens up a range of fascinating debates about lesbian parenting decisions in the two national contexts.' - European Journal of Women's Studies

• Introduction: Charting the Lesbian Baby Boom Gender, Families and Social Change In Search of Doctors, Donors and Daddies: Lesbian Reproductive Decision-making Queering 'Public' Space Negotiating the Biological 'Tie': Identity, Power and Difference among Lesbian Parents Challenging Heteronormativity? Gender Flexibility and Lesbian Parenting Conclusions: Beyond Assimilation and Transgression Bibliography