Family networks of lesbian and gay people in Switzerland

Objective

The aim of this study was to estimate the relevance of the family of choice hypothesis in family networks of lesbian and gay individuals living in Switzerland and its implications for their social capital.

Background

Over the past three decades, family scholars have paid more attention to the emergence of family configurations of LGBTQ+ people that extend beyond the nuclear family and blood kin, with voluntary kin and family of choice playing a key role. However, family networks of lesbian and gay individuals remain an unexplored topic in Switzerland, a country that has taken an extended period to implement institutional acknowledgment of lesbian and gay family rights.

Method

Personal network methods were used to map the main types of family networks of lesbian and gay individuals. In collaboration with an association advocating for lesbian and gay families in Switzerland, the study collected ego-centered network data on their family.

Results

The results reveal that the nuclear family holds prominence in many family networks of lesbian and gay people included in the sample, with limited involvement of either blood kin or voluntary kin, which has consequences for their family-based social capital.

Conclusion

The family of choice hypothesis is largely rejected. The focus on the nuclear family is consistent with the late legal recognition of same-sex marriage and parenthood in Switzerland.

Implications

The importance of the nuclear family in the family networks of LGBTQ+ people, as well as the relative diversity of such networks, should be considered by professionals dealing with health and social issues, as well as by legislators, policymakers, and organizations working to promote the family rights of lesbian and gay people and their full social acceptance.