New Choices, New Families by Nancy J. Mezey

How do lesbians decide to become mothers or remain childfree, and why do new families form at particular historical moments? As researchers and politicians debate the changing American family and the parental rights of same-sex couples, Nancy J. Mezey asks why lesbians are forming families now and how race, class, sexual identity and family history shape the decision. Drawing on personal interviews, she gives voice to groups long underrepresented in such studies: Black, Latina, working-class and childfree lesbians. Chapters examine how childhood experiences shape the desire to become a mother, and how partners and careers influence the choice.