The conception and formation of families among non-heterosexual women (lalas) in urban China
<p>This study examines the ways in which Chinese non-heterosexual women, who identify themselves as lalas, make sense of and form their families in urban China. It sheds new light on the complex interplay between structure and agency in lalas’ experiences of family formation, including those o...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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2020
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| _version_ | 1826315970805760000 |
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| author | Lo, PY |
| author2 | Kan, MY |
| author_facet | Kan, MY Lo, PY |
| author_sort | Lo, PY |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | <p>This study examines the ways in which Chinese non-heterosexual women, who identify themselves as lalas, make sense of and form their families in urban China. It sheds new light on the complex interplay between structure and agency in lalas’ experiences of family formation, including those of pursuing motherhood, in a context where same-sex relationships remain stigmatized. Based on in-depth interviews with 35 lala-identified women, this study reveals lalas’ pursuit of agency in redefining who can be related to whom in their family-building processes and shows how and under what circumstances their strategies for forming female-led families reinforce or subvert established norms of gender, sexuality, and family. The findings also demonstrate the ways in which traditional and new beliefs about family ties, concerns about the stability of family life, and worries about later life come into play in lalas’ decision-making processes regarding whether and how to have children. Furthermore, by exploring lalas’ experiences of cyberspace, including their participation in both online and offline activities initiated by lala-targeted social networking sites and social media, this study shows how lalas use cyberspace to explore new meanings of family and ways of developing family life and yet constantly need to navigate tensions between their online and offline lives. </p>
<p>This study makes a distinctive contribution to a more nuanced and context-sensitive understanding of ongoing changes in family life within and beyond China. The findings highlight the importance of attending to the diversity of practices and meanings along different paths to family formation, which are interwoven with individuals’ continued struggles to navigate the gendered, familial, material, and socio-political constraints in their local context. Studying lalas’ family-building in China provides an important window into interlocking systems of inequality confronting people whose family aspirations and practices are considered deviant from the norm, and consequently are devalued or silenced. </p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-06T20:00:08Z |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oxford-uuid:2700e2ae-5d8f-404a-9c25-c5c95983b7b9 |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-09T03:35:46Z |
| publishDate | 2020 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:2700e2ae-5d8f-404a-9c25-c5c95983b7b92024-12-01T19:20:33ZThe conception and formation of families among non-heterosexual women (lalas) in urban China Thesishttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_db06uuid:2700e2ae-5d8f-404a-9c25-c5c95983b7b9SociologyReproductive technologyQualitative researchCyberspace--Social aspectsFamilyGenderEnglishHyrax Deposit2020Lo, PYKan, MY<p>This study examines the ways in which Chinese non-heterosexual women, who identify themselves as lalas, make sense of and form their families in urban China. It sheds new light on the complex interplay between structure and agency in lalas’ experiences of family formation, including those of pursuing motherhood, in a context where same-sex relationships remain stigmatized. Based on in-depth interviews with 35 lala-identified women, this study reveals lalas’ pursuit of agency in redefining who can be related to whom in their family-building processes and shows how and under what circumstances their strategies for forming female-led families reinforce or subvert established norms of gender, sexuality, and family. The findings also demonstrate the ways in which traditional and new beliefs about family ties, concerns about the stability of family life, and worries about later life come into play in lalas’ decision-making processes regarding whether and how to have children. Furthermore, by exploring lalas’ experiences of cyberspace, including their participation in both online and offline activities initiated by lala-targeted social networking sites and social media, this study shows how lalas use cyberspace to explore new meanings of family and ways of developing family life and yet constantly need to navigate tensions between their online and offline lives. </p> <p>This study makes a distinctive contribution to a more nuanced and context-sensitive understanding of ongoing changes in family life within and beyond China. The findings highlight the importance of attending to the diversity of practices and meanings along different paths to family formation, which are interwoven with individuals’ continued struggles to navigate the gendered, familial, material, and socio-political constraints in their local context. Studying lalas’ family-building in China provides an important window into interlocking systems of inequality confronting people whose family aspirations and practices are considered deviant from the norm, and consequently are devalued or silenced. </p> |
| spellingShingle | Sociology Reproductive technology Qualitative research Cyberspace--Social aspects Family Gender Lo, PY The conception and formation of families among non-heterosexual women (lalas) in urban China |
| title | The conception and formation of families among non-heterosexual women (lalas) in urban China |
| title_full | The conception and formation of families among non-heterosexual women (lalas) in urban China |
| title_fullStr | The conception and formation of families among non-heterosexual women (lalas) in urban China |
| title_full_unstemmed | The conception and formation of families among non-heterosexual women (lalas) in urban China |
| title_short | The conception and formation of families among non-heterosexual women (lalas) in urban China |
| title_sort | conception and formation of families among non heterosexual women lalas in urban china |
| topic | Sociology Reproductive technology Qualitative research Cyberspace--Social aspects Family Gender |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT lopy theconceptionandformationoffamiliesamongnonheterosexualwomenlalasinurbanchina AT lopy conceptionandformationoffamiliesamongnonheterosexualwomenlalasinurbanchina |