Who Are We Studying When We Study Sexual Minorities? Evidence by Partnership Status from Sweden

• In Event: 21014 - Kinship and Family Diversity

Abstract

Objective: This study compares the prevalence and sociodemographic composition of sexual minority groups according to different definitions prevalent in the family and health literatures.
Background: Studies measure sexual orientation differently, resulting in radically different research findings and conclusions. Family research on lesbian/gay couples and children of same-sex parents identifies advantages for these groups. But health research finds substantial health disparities for self-identified sexual minorities (LGBQ), even with Sweden’s uniquely low structural stigma.
Method: Nationally representative data could not previously compare these groups. We used the nationally representative 2018-2022 Swedish National Public Health Surveys (https://www.folkhalsomyndigheten.se/the-public-health-agency-of-sweden/public-health-reporting/; N=319,507) and linked administrative data to compare married, partnered, and cohabiting self-identified lesbian/gay, bisexual, and heterosexual respondents.
Results: Marriage, cohabitation, and parenting are underrepresented among self-identified sexual minorities. Both gay/lesbian married respondents and the subset of these respondents living with children are rare and highly sociodemographically selected, with considerable advantages compared to other, particularly single and bisexual, sexual minorities. Further, differences in prevalence, sociodemographic selection, and implications for health are stark by age cohort.
Conclusion: Because married gay/lesbian-identified people and same-sex parents are highly advantaged compared to the much larger group of self-identified LGB respondents, literatures using different operationalizations of sexual minorities are talking past each other. It is important not to transfer generalizations drawn from one definition of this group, or one age cohort, to another.

Authors

• Stefanie Mollborn, Stockholm University

• Martin Kolk, Stockholm University

• Bethany Grace Everett, University of Utah

• Richard Bränström, Karolinska Institutet