Ambivalent Recognition Order? Doing reproduction and doing family beyond the heterosexual nuclear family

• Applicants: Professorin Dr. Mona Motakef; Professorin Dr. Almut Peukert; Professorin Dr. Christine Wimbauer
• Subject Area: Empirical Social Research
• Term: from 2017 to 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 367423336

The buzzword reproduction places questions concerning family formation into the center of (socio)political and scientific attention. Recently, Germany has put hetero- and homosexual relationships more equal by law, but social, institutional and legal inequalities still exist. New reproduction technologies facilitate realizing parenthood for more people. However, non heterosexuals who do not live in a heterosexual couple relationship are often excluded through societal norms about couples and heteronormativity.Referring to these developments and coming from a social inequality perspective, we suggest focusing on the heterogeneity of so called rainbow or LGBTIQ families. Families beyond the heterosexual norm are still widely ignored by sociological research. With the term family we refer to people, who have one or more children, regardless if alone, as a couple or, for instance, as a double couple.The project examines three core areas:1. An initial literature review offers valuable insights into regulations of LGBTIQ family formations. We will ask, which social (in-)equalities can be found in institutionalized recognition orders for non-heterosexuals and (potential) families, who do not live in a dyadic intimate relationship? Five expert interviews supplement the secondary analysis. Starting from the results of step 1, the main aim of the research project is to conduct an explorative, qualitative study of 12 non-heterosexual one- and more-parent families (including people, who want to realize a family). We plan conducting joint interviews on questions such as:2. How is the desire to have children realized or not realized? How is the doing reproduction of non heterosexual (potential) one- and more parent families revealed in the light of the ambivalent (legal and social) recognition order?3. What indicates doing family? How is family established in daily life and which kind of experiences of social inequality, inclusion and/or exclusion have these families to cope with?In order to examine these sociological and currently highly relevant questions, we draw on theories of social inequality, recognition, gender and on queer theory. We combine (cultural studies) research approaches of doing reproduction, family, daily life of LGBTIQ families and sociological social inequality, gender, family and recognition research in an innovative manner. A central theoretical goal is to develop an empirically grounded enlarged concept of the family and moreover, to develop an extended understanding of parenthood against the background of an ambivalent recognition order. With regard to theory the project could inform the Sociology of Social Inequality, Theories of Recognition and Sociology of the Family, breaking new ground in sociology.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants