Queer Pathways to Parenthood (QPATHS) is an ERC-funded research project about how sexual minorities form their families and become parents. Although families have become increasingly diverse and same-sex parenthood is more visible and accepted, the path to having children is still not equally accessible to everyone. Sexual minorities may face additional legal, financial, practical, and social challenges, yet we still know surprisingly little about how these shape people’s family plans and experiences.
QPATHS aims to change that. We study how people think about family formation, which paths they may consider or pursue, and what helps or hinders them along the way. By combining population data from five European countries with a large longitudinal survey in the Netherlands, we can follow family formation over time and better understand how wishes, intentions, experiences, and outcomes may differ between people.
The knowledge generated by QPATHS will help build a more complete picture of family formation in the 21st century. By taking part in our research, participants contribute to knowledge that is still largely missing and help us better understand why family formation unfolds differently for different people, including those who do and do not wish to become parents. These insights can support future research and contribute to more inclusive policies around family formation. More information is on the project website: https://www.qpaths.nl/.
