Influence of Gender-based Family Roles on Gender Transition for Transgender Women

Bibliographic Data

ID19523926
AuthorsEmily Simpson (0000-0002-6212-9075, Midwestern University, corresponding author), Emily K Simpson
Year2018
Volume14
Issue4
Pages356-380
Publication date2018-08-08
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of GLBT Family Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1550-428X • E-ISSN: 1550-4298
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/1550428x.2017.1359722
OpenAlexW2753664103
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited53

The purpose of this study was to describe the influence of gender-based family roles on the process of gender transition for transgender women in the United States. Secondary analysis was undertaken on a subset of data from a larger phenomenological study; this dataset comprised interviews from 10 women ranging in age from 46 to 65. Findings indicated that participants were challenged to imagine alternative ways of inhabiting family roles that were defined in terms of gender and thus feared the loss of those roles with disclosure of their authentic gender identity. Coupled with the anticipation of familial rejection, 3 family roles that participants perceived to be bounded by gender were identified as particularly influential on their decisions to delay gender transition: (a) son, (b) husband, and (c) father. Findings underscore that barriers to transition are greatly influenced by the relationship boundaries of the binary gender system and call attention to the need for a more flexible understanding of gender within the family system

Developmental psychology · Gender identity · Gender psychology · Heteronormativity · Interpretative phenomenological analysis · Qualitative research · Queer · Sociology · Transgender · Gender Studies · Gender, Feminism, and Media · LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy · Psychology · Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology · Social Psychology

Tools

Open DOISci-Hub