(CSF1a) Families I

This session features research on “the family” or family relations in relation to equity, diversity, and inclusion. Tags: Égalité et Inégalité, Parentalité Et Familles, Travail Et Professions

Organizer: Amber Gazso, University of the Fraser Valley; Chair: Amber Gazso, University of the Fraser Valley

Presentations

Pedrom Nasiri, University of Calgary

Queer(y)ing the Quotidian: Non-Monogamous Families and the Potentiality of Queer Family Practices

In (2019[2009]) Cruising Utopia, Jose Esteban Munoz reminds us of the ideality of queerness. Rather than something that we are or might ever be, queerness is an educated mode of hope and hoping that encourages us to think and feel beyond the confines of our present moment – and its routinized and habituated practices – so that we might dream and enact better worlds. He suggests that, while this hope is future-oriented, it may nevertheless be found in quotidian practices of everyday life that overflow with cultural and affective surplus promising emancipatory possibilities. As Munoz articulates it, the queer utopian project is thus historically grounded and drawn to the anticipatory illumination of ideologies, embodied dispositions, and aesthetic practices that offer political hope against (hetero/homo)normativity. In this presentation, I draw on Munoz’s framing of queerness to interrogate the everyday social practices of non-monogamous families in Canada and the United States. Through original research consisting of 153 interviews of non-monogamous family members and 20 life documents (a multi-pronged qualitative research strategy that includes visual and textual data), I demonstrate the inherent tension in non-monogamous relationships as they work to both challenge and extend (hetero/homo)normative family practices.

Sol Underwood, University of Toronto

Family the Kids Choose? Negotiating Gratitude for LGBTQI+ Ancestors and the Struggle to Sustain a Gay Community

Gay fathers comprise a new family unit in history. This research explores how belonging to a larger LGBTQI+ community matters to queer co-fathers. Based on analysis of 18 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with queer co-fathers, I show that these new family units express an ambivalence towards a ‘gay community’. On the one hand, they understand they are a ‘new social unit’ and pioneers in a gay community that owes great debts to their ‘gay ancestors’, while on the other, they are largely disconnected from and alienated from the contemporary gay community. Fatherhood transforms these men’s lives: their childfree LGBTQI+ friends no longer visit them, and they experience disconnects between gay culture, domestic, and family life: much of their social time is now spent with straight and cisgender parents, especially the parents of their children’s friends. Similarly, I explore fathers’ reflections on feeling abandoned by their gay community and how they do not necessarily need one. Finally, I explore the socioeconomic explanations for this disconnect. Fathers with greater economic resources can ‘opt out’ of community and compensate for necessary domestic labours by hiring domestic caregivers.

Krisha Mistry, University of British Columbia

"Mommy Issues": Exploring the Intersections Between Motherhood and Womanhood Admist Chronic Illness.

While the relationship between motherhood and womanhood has long been researched in the field of sociology, such work often neglects how chronic illness diagnoses may impact the formation of these identities. In my research, I explore how individuals understand and navigate the motherhood identity within the context of womanhood, with attention to how the diagnosis of a chronic illness impacts these intersecting identities. The data is based on two semi-structured qualitative interviews with a minimum of three participants. The first interview focuses on how women relate to the experiences of womanhood and motherhood, and the second focuses on how women navigate these identities with a chronic illness. The data of each participant is analyzed as an individual case study to account for the variety of illnesses presented. Moreover, by implementing this approach each participant represents a different story or perspective of motherhood. Combining narrative and sociological approaches allows for a deeper understanding of the individual motherhood experience and how this maps onto their journey/experience with chronic illness. Initially, I had planned to conduct a thematic analysis that identified common themes across all participants. However, during the data analysis stage, each participant presented with a different chronic illness and all had different journeys to motherhood, making it difficult to validate my data to its full extent. Instead, by taking a narrative case study approach common themes were identified across participants despite all having different journeys and experiences. For example, a common theme of “resilience,” emerged despite all participants having undergone acute mental and physical health challenges, they would often put aside their own needs for the better of their children because it was their ‘job’ as a mother. Furthermore, by doing so participants expressed a sense of external purpose that motherhood gave them. This further supports my hypothesis that despite having a chronic illness, the identity of motherhood gives participants an external sense of purpose, both shaping them as mothers and as women. For all participants interviewed, it was found that cultural background and familial, social, and cultural expectations strongly influenced the decision to become a mother, and this desire to become a mother overcame the challenges associated with their chronic illness. Despite this, an additional finding that emerged was to the understanding of chronic illness arose: chronic illness diagnoses are strongly associated with feelings of unworthiness and a distinct lack of fulfillment that transcends to participants’ understanding of both womanhood and motherhood identities. This research is incredibly important to both the field of medical sociology and sociology of the family because it highlights the variety of challenges women face when making the decision to become a mother. Additionally, this work demonstrates a foundational understanding of the ways in which a chronic illness may create both physical and mental health barriers to the experience of navigating motherhood. Moreover, this research provides insight for women with chronic illnesses themselves into the potential challenges they may face when making the decision of whether or not to embark on the journey of motherhood. This research also highlights the importance of providing resources and support to women with chronic illnesses and their families. Additionally, it emphasizes the need for further research into the unique needs of women with chronic illnesses and their families.

Oluwatobi Alabi, University of Johannesburg

Kayan mata, sex, and sexuality in Nigeria: theoretical implications

As anecdotal narratives surrounding the motivation for women’s use of kayan mata products spark conversations across social media platforms in Nigeria, it has also become an important debate in the sociology of intimate relationships and sexuality. This paper discusses how women use kayan mata as a multifaceted tool for navigating complex patriarchal spaces and structures. Through a qualitative research design, in-depth interviews were conducted with women who use kayan mata, men who have insight into womens use of kayan mata, and sellers of the aphrodisiac to understand its varieties, motivations, implications for intimacy, intimate relationships, and family dynamics. Using the conceptual lens of snail-sense feminism, which argues that women have employed a variety of strategies to navigate limiting terrains and challenge gender norms across cultures in Africa, I argue that kayan mata is a significant tool in the politics of intimate relationships within Nigeria. Findings indicate that women strategically employ kayan mata in marriages and intimate relationships to negotiate power and resources. This paper critiques the concept of dangerous women associated with kayan mata. It discusses ‘mens fears of losing control’ and its perceived threat to hegemonic masculinity. The arguments carefully presented point to ambivalence in agency conceptualization, where empowerment initially means fulfilling mens desires, but later evolves into a means of asserting control within relationships. Even though kayan mata has gained popularity, its secretive nature raises concerns in intimate relationships.