Parenting Stress and Couple Relationship Quality Among Transgender and Nonbinary Parents: The Roles of Discrepancy in Division of Childcare Labor and Gender Identity

A substantial population of transgender and nonbinary (TNB) individuals is becoming parents. However, research on how TNB parents navigate parenthood, family dynamics, and couple functioning remains limited. This study investigated the association between parenting stress and relationship quality and tested the mediating role of discrepancy in the division of childcare labor (i.e., satisfaction with the current allocation of childrearing tasks) and the moderating role of gender identity (i.e., transgender man and woman vs. nonbinary) in an international sample of 228 TNB parents primarily from the United States. Results of structural equation modeling identified a conditional indirect pathway: Higher levels of parenting stress were negatively associated with lower couple relationship quality through greater discrepancy in the division of childcare labor only among nonbinary parents rather than transgender man and woman parents. The findings of this study shed light on the understudied intricacies of TNB parents' intersectional experiences of their gender identity, intimate relationships, and parenthood. The practical significance of this study lies in its potential to inform targeted intervention programs that ultimately enhance couple relationship well-being through the development of a more desirable division of childcare labor considering the nuanced experiences of TNB parents.