"The three musketeers": A triadic analysis of parenting responsibilities within U.K. LGBTQ+ three-parent families.

Abstract

Within the United Kingdom, alongside many other countries, it is legally and socially assumed that every child is born with two parents. Recently, there has been an increased societal interest in intentional multiparent families, where more than two adults are actively involved in coparenting a child, yet little research has explored experiences within these families. This study addresses this gap, exploring the way in which parenting roles and responsibilities are negotiated within lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer and questioning intentional three-parent families in the United Kingdom. This article draws upon a unique data set of three-parent families, including interviews with 12 lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer and questioning parents in four families in the United Kingdom. Data were analyzed using a novel analytical approach, qualitative triadic analysis, which allows for the analysis of participants' experiences at an individual and family level. Family systems theory and the underutilized theoretical concept of emotional triangles were used to make sense of the data. Three themes were identified in the data, all addressing the research question "How do three-parent families negotiate parenting roles and responsibilities?" Findings highlight that participants managed their parenting arrangement in two different ways, either sharing parenting responsibilities equally or dividing parenting roles, with primary and secondary caregivers taking on different responsibilities. Participants discussed the importance of flexibility and communication in managing their arrangement and all participants reported positive coparenting relationships. This study has a number of implications: Methodologically and theoretically, this study highlights the usefulness of systemic qualitative approaches to studying diverse families. Legally, findings highlight the restrictiveness of two-parent models. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).