Almack, Kathryn. 2008. Display work: Lesbian parent couples and their families of origin negotiating

Interviews with twenty lesbian couples living in England. Participants spoke about engaging in “display work” as part of becoming parents, with some family members positively taking this up, and others having largely negative responses to lesbian motherhood. Available online by subscription or purchase.

Gabb, Jacqui. 2004. ‘I Could Eat My Baby to Bits’; Passion and desire in lesbian mother–children love. Gender, Place & Culture 11.3: 399–415.

Interviews with thirteeen lesbian families living in the United Kingdom. Analysis focuses on how the mothers talk about love for their children, and in so doing problematizes normative understandings of maternal affection as it is applied to lesbian mother families. Available online by subscription or purchase.

• McNair, Ruth, Deborah Dempsey, Sarah Wise, and Amaryll Perlesz. 2002. Lesbian parenting: Issues, strengths and challenges. Family Matters 63:40–49. Survey of 136 Australian lesbian mothers. Participants reported the perception that their children were accepted by the broader community as children of lesbian mothers—however the participants themselves faced challenges related to sexuality that meant that some of the women were selective about disclosing to others.

• Perlesz, Amaryll, and Ruth McNair. 2004. Lesbian parenting: Insiders’ voices. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy 25.3: 129–140. Survey completed by 151 Australian lesbian mothers. Some of the participants reported challenges with their children’s schools, and with their own families, in terms of discrimination. Some participants spoke about disenfranchised grief due to lack of acknowledgement of pregnancy losses or the death of a partner by others in the community. Available online by subscription or purchase.

• Rawsthorne, Margot, and Mayet Costello. 2010. Cleaning the sink: Exploring the experiences of Australian lesbian parents reconciling work/family responsibilities. Community, Work & Family 13.2: 189–204. Interviews with seventeen Australian lesbian mothers. The authors suggest that differing gender roles within lesbian families may help to reduce stress and conflict within the family. Available online by subscription or purchase.