The Role of Co-Mothers in Planned Lesbian-Led Families

Summary

The present study examined the role of co-parents in children's lives by comparing the role of co-mothers in 15 British lesbian mother families with the role of resident fathers in two different groups of heterosexual families (43 families where the study-child was conceived through donor insemination, and 41 families where the child had been naturally conceived). Birth mothers in all three types of family were administered a semi-structured interview to assess the quality of family relationships. Questionnaire data on stress associated with parenting were obtained from co-mothers and fathers, and the children were administered the Family Relations Test. The results indicated that co-mothers played a more active role in daily caretaking than did most fathers. However, father-child and co-mother-child relationships were found to be equally warm and affectionate in all three groups and no group differences were found for children's scores on the Family Relations Test or co-mothers/fathers’ scores on the Parenting Stress Index.