1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«The aim of the study was to document the motivations of donors for participating in the parental project of lesbian couples through donation of their gametes, the practical reality of their role within these families, and the evolution of that reality over time.» (p. 455)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
«This article is based on data from a study on Quebec lesbian-parent families whose children were conceived using a known donor. […] The sample consisted of 11 Quebec men (n = 11) who had offered their gametes to lesbian couples in a private context, that is, outside the medical reproductive assistance system. They were between 25 and 38 years of age at the time of the first interview. Six of them identified themselves as gay, and five as heterosexual.» (p. 455)

Instruments :
Guide d’entretien semi-directif

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse de contenu

3. Résumé

«This article reveals how the emergence of a paternal identity is a complex phenomenon for known sperm donors, dependent on the representations and interrelationships between the donor, lesbian mothers, family and friends, as well the social universe in which they live. In this sense, these results confirm that such men have to develop a role without having a model to rely on […]. The majority of the men participating in this study were able to navigate between these social representations, so that they could develop a paternal identity that suited them, although two of them would have liked to see greater recognition of a certain status as father. Nevertheless, this did not seem to have any negative consequences on their relationship with the mothers concerned because the donors complied with the initial agreement, namely, that their role placed them at the periphery of the family system formed by the lesbian couple and their children. [Moreover, we] note that the participating families were very flexible in how children fit into the relational dynamics that adults established before their birth. In this sense, it is quite possible that mothers and donors may agree to comply with divergent representations that children may have.» (p. 460)