Pathways to Parenthood among LGBTIQ People in Croatia: Who Wants to Become a Parent and How?

Abstract

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) people can become parents using various methods, but actual possibilities differ between countries depending on the legislation and social norms. The main goal of this study was to explore parenting desire and family formation methods among LGBTIQ people in Croatia. Differences in parenting desire based on sociodemographic characteristics, the frequency and use of family formation methods, as well as the importance of different sources of support for parenthood were analysed. 486 childless LGBTIQ people (aged 18 to 54) and 24 LGBTIQ people who were parents (aged 24 to 54) participated in an online survey. Childless participants who did not want children were on average older in comparison to those who wanted to have children. There were no significant differences in desire for parenthood based on education, income and relationship status, as well as between cis-females and cis-males and lesbians and gays. Most of the participants who were already parents had a child in a previous heterosexual relationship, while most of those who tried to become parents used an assisted reproductive technology. Among all the participants, the most preferred family formation methods were adoption and foster care, and partners were considered as the most important source of support for parenthood. Childless participants who wanted to have children perceived significantly more support from family, friends, and a significant other in comparison to those who did not want children. These results provide novel insights into the decision-making processes LGBTIQ people go through before family formation and indicate associations between the life context (e.g. age, social support) and parenting desire.