Family networks of lesbian and gay people in Switzerland

Objective: The aim of this study was to estimate the relevance of the family of choice hypothesis in family networks of lesbian and gay individuals living in Switzerland and its implications for their social capital. Background: Over the past three decades, family scholars have paid more attention to the emergence of family configurations of LGBTQ+ people that extend beyond the nuclear family and blood kin, with voluntary kin and family of choice playing a key role. However, family networks of lesbian and gay individuals remain an unexplored topic in Switzerland, a country that has taken an extended period to implement institutional acknowledgment of lesbian and gay family rights. Method: Personal network methods were used to map the main types of family networks of lesbian and gay individuals. In collaboration with an association advocating for lesbian and gay families in Switzerland, the study collected ego-centered network data on their family. Results: The results reveal that the nuclear family holds prominence in many family networks of lesbian and gay people included in the sample, with limited involvement of either blood kin or voluntary kin, which has consequences for their family-based social capital. Conclusion: The family of choice hypothesis is largely rejected. The focus on the nuclear family is consistent with the late legal recognition of same-sex marriage and parenthood in Switzerland.