TY - JOUR
T1 - Accounting for Lesbian-Headed Families
T2 - Lesbian Mothers' Responses to Discursive Challenges
AU - Koenig Kellas, Jody
AU - Suter, Elizabeth A.
N1 - Funding Information:
Jody Koenig Kellas is in the Communication Studies Department at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Elizabeth Suter is in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Denver. The current study was funded by the American Psychological Foundation Wayne F. Placek Investigator Development Award. An earlier version of this paper was presented to the Family Communication Division at the National Communication Association annual convention (November 2011, New Orleans, LA). Correspondence to: Jody Koenig Kellas, Department of Communication Studies, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 428 Oldfather Hall, Lincoln, NE 68588·0329, USA. E-mail: [email protected]
PY - 2012/12
Y1 - 2012/12
N2 - Although lesbian mothers are often called to justify their family's legitimacy, we know little about these interactions. The current study included 44 female coparents across 10 focus groups discussing the interactive process of discursive legitimacy challenges. Using the theoretical framework of remedial accounts (Schönbach, 1990), inductive and deductive coding revealed several existing and new types of challenges, accounting strategies, and evaluations relevant to interactions of lesbian mothers. Communicative processes unique to the interactions of female coparents included challenges emerging from societal master narratives (e.g., health care, education, politics, religion); accounting strategies such as leading by example; and evaluations related to the ways in which children render the family acceptable. Findings offer strategies for coping with the discursive challenges lesbian mothers encounter.
AB - Although lesbian mothers are often called to justify their family's legitimacy, we know little about these interactions. The current study included 44 female coparents across 10 focus groups discussing the interactive process of discursive legitimacy challenges. Using the theoretical framework of remedial accounts (Schönbach, 1990), inductive and deductive coding revealed several existing and new types of challenges, accounting strategies, and evaluations relevant to interactions of lesbian mothers. Communicative processes unique to the interactions of female coparents included challenges emerging from societal master narratives (e.g., health care, education, politics, religion); accounting strategies such as leading by example; and evaluations related to the ways in which children render the family acceptable. Findings offer strategies for coping with the discursive challenges lesbian mothers encounter.
KW - Account Episodes
KW - Discourse Dependent Families
KW - Lesbian-Headed Families
KW - Remedial Accounts
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U2 - 10.1080/03637751.2012.723812
DO - 10.1080/03637751.2012.723812
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84869782611
SN - 0363-7751
VL - 79
SP - 475
EP - 498
JO - Communication Monographs
JF - Communication Monographs
IS - 4
ER -