Intergenerational solidarity and social support in GLBQ+ people’s family systems

• In Event: 21014 - Kinship and Family Diversity

Abstract

Contemporary U.S. life has been marked by polarization about social and political issues (Boxell, 2020). One salient example of this polarization pertains to attitudes on issues relating to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and queer (GLBQ+) identities, as attitudes about this issue have shifted dramatically in the last 50 years (Fetner, 2016), yet simultaneously remain deeply contentious (Castle & Stepp, 2021). Alongside documenting these societal shifts, sociologists have examined the fact that intergenerational family relationships have become a salient feature of people’s lives at the interpersonal level (Fingerman et al., 2020). An important, but unexplored, theoretical question remains related to how the macro-level societal shifts affect micro-level family processes in intergenerational family relationships. Given these relationships involve members who have lived in starkly different generational contexts, they provide a particularly illustrative setting in which to explore this question. Specifically, these generational contexts inform not only family members’ expectations of family roles, communication, and conflict resolution, but also the understandings of social issues, such as GLBQ+ issues. In this manuscript, we draw on in-depth interviews with 15 individuals embedded within 5 family systems (3 members in each family with at least one GLBQ+-identified) to address: How do contentious social issues (e.g., sexual orientation) shape intergenerational solidarity and social support in family systems? Our findings illustrate the complex ways that age, generational cohort, and family role shape how GLBQ+ people give and accept care and social support in families. We find that sexual orientation provided opportunities to enhance solidarity with family members as they saw family members provide care and support for them, on the individual level, as well as, in some cases political or social advocacy. These findings have implications for how families may enhance solidarity in intergenerational family relationships and provide care and support to one another during challenging life circumstances.

Authors

• Emily Kazyak, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

• K Scherrer, Metropolitan State University of Denver