“We Are Seriously Two Equals”: Lesbian Mothers-to-be and Sharing Motherhood in Sweden

Abstract

This study explores how women in lesbian couples in Sweden discuss in/equalities during their transitions into motherhood. The couples are situated in a context where gender equality discourse has long dominated public narratives and political decisions about families. Debates and policy-makers have focused on the challenges of motherhood in relation to fatherhood and couple inequalities due to gender differences. Against this background, this study asks: How do women in lesbian couples navigate their transition to first-time-motherhood? Drawing on interviews with 40 lesbian mothers-to-be (20 couples), the findings suggest that these women perceive themselves as exempt from the gender equality project. As such, they can “afford” inequitable household arrangements and approach intensive motherhood ideals while maintaining that they lead a feminist life. They see no incongruence because they assert that (absent) fathers and households with men are part of problems with gender equality. In the study, these associations are linked to cultural scripts about couple equality and motherhood—which, indeed, revolve around heterosexual couples. As a consequence, women in lesbian relationships may not foresee the gendered consequences of their actions and arrangements.