Occupational apartheid and human rights: Narratives of Chilean same-sex couples who want to be parents

ABSTRACT

Theoretical and political background: Human rights can help value human diversity as a natural condition of all societies. In some places, however, not everybody can exercise their rights.

Purpose: This work aims to understand the restrictions experienced by same-sex couples who wish to engage in parenthood.

Method: The study presents the situation of two same-sex couples who have experienced restrictions to becoming parents in Chile. The methodology used to present their experiences is a biographical narrative combined with a life story approach.

Findings: The occupational transition towards motherhood/fatherhood for same-sex couples is restricted due to discrimination and exclusion resulting from current political and sociocultural conditions prevailing in Chile. Those who participated in the study described their experience as restricted because of gender stereotypes associated with raising children and heteronormative occupations. One aspect of the restrictions imposed on the parenthood of same-sex couples is expressed as an occupational apartheid which already impacts LGTBI persons in Chile.

Discussion: These human rights violations have an impact on occupational identity and everyday life, preventing same-sex couples from engaging in meaningful life projects.

Conclusion: This work is a contribution to occupational science as it describes the occupational apartheid experienced by same-sex couples trying to start a family in Chile.

理论和政治背景：人权可以帮助将人类多样性视为所有社会的自然条件。但是，在某些地方，并非所有人都能行使自己的权利。

目的：这项工作旨在了解希望为人父母的同性伴侣所受到的限制。

方法：本研究介绍了在智利两对同性伴侣想成为父母所受限制的情况。用于表现他们经历的方法是传记叙事和生活故事法的结合。

发现：由于目前智利的政治和社会文化状况导致歧视和排斥，同性伴侣向母亲/父亲的生活活动过渡受到限制。参与该研究的人称，由于与养育孩子和异性关系生活活动有关的性别陈规定型观念，他们的经历受到限制。对同性伴侣的父母施加的限制的一方面表现为一种生活活动种族隔离，已经影响了智利的LGTBI人群。

讨论：这些对人权的侵犯行为对生活活动认同和日常生活产生着影响，阻碍同性伴侣从事有意义的生活活动。

结论：该研究是对生活活动科学的贡献，因为它描述了试图在智利建立家庭的同性伴侣所经历的生活活动种族隔离。

KEYWORDS:

• Occupational science
• Occupational apartheid
• Human rights
• Same-sex parenthood
• Occupational transition

TAMBIÉN PUBLICADO EN ESPAÑOL:

• https://doi.org/10.1080/14427591.2020.1725782

View translated version:

Apartheid ocupacional y derechos humanos: Narrativas de parejas del mismo sexo que quieren ser padres. Una experiencia chilena

Apartheid ocupacional y derechos humanos: Narrativas de parejas del mismo sexo que quieren ser padres. Una experiencia chilena

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

ORCID

Rodolfo Morrison http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2834-1646

Additional information

Funding

This paper is part of FONDECYT No. 1170417 research “Public Action and Sexual Diversity in Chile: Social Constructions in Democracy (1990-2016)”.