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Racial Differences in Gay Women’s Dating Preferences for Women with Children

Mon, August 14, 4:30 to 6:10pm, Palais des congrès de Montréal, Floor: Level 5, 513E

Abstract

Recent qualitative work offers a contrast to studies of (White) lesbianism by highlighting the significance of race in shaping Black gay women’s sexuality, partner preferences, and family formation. Specifically, one study finds that Black gay women arrive at their gay sexuality later in life after they already had heterosexual relationships. Thus, the most common way to form a family was to bring children from previous heterosexual relationships to their new relationships with other women. In this study, we draw on a sample of 1,926 gay women on Match.com to quantitatively test whether race impacts partner preference in ways that also impact family formation. Contrary to assumptions from the dating literature that the internet affords more opportunity for finding partners, we find that certain racial groups exhibit patterned restrictions on the types of women they are willing to date. In line with existing research on race and sexuality, we find that Black gay women are significantly more likely to be open to dating other women with children than are White and Asian gay women. Latina gay women are also more likely than Asians and Whites to be open to women with children. Neither the dater’s marital status nor whether they have a child of their own shapes these racially-driven effects. We conclude that race differentially structures gay women’s openness to partners with children, which has life course implications via family formation of subsequent partnerships that each of these groups pursue.

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