Supporting the Future: Future Expectations for Queer Youth in Child Welfare & How Social Support Shapes Them

• In Event: 40809 - Rewriting the Future: Youth-Driven Policies That Catalyze Change

Abstract

Queer youth are overrepresented in the child welfare system and tend to have less social support than their straight counterparts. This paper examines youth’s future expectations for marrying by 25 and having a family, and how these expectations differ for straight youth and two groups of queer youth: LGBQ and asexual. We investigate how social support from caregivers and peers influences these expectations. Using nationally representative data of child welfare cases, we find that LGBQ and asexual youth have significantly lower levels of both caregiver and peer support compared to straight youth and have lower expectations for marriage and family formation. Our findings highlight the need for increasing social support for queer youth in the child welfare system and more attention to the nuanced categorization of queer youth.

Authors

• Heather Lepper-Pappan, University of Oklahoma

• Rin Ferraro, Sam Houston State University