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In this talk we will examine the parenting rights of same-sex couples and the surrounding social expectations, as reflected by the relevant legal frameworks, and as measured by large-scale cross-national longitudinal surveys. We will interpret the results from a European political demographic perspective, by introducing the concept of selective patriotic pronatalism, defined as a preference for the reproduction of certain social groups over others in a social context where reproduction is perceived as a national or patriotic duty.

The findings highlight a paradoxical feature of present-day European right-wing sexual politics, i.e. in typically far-right political agendas LGBTIQ people can be blamed for negative demographic outcomes, and, at the same time, subjected to heteronormatively prescribed childlessness, resulting from normative expectations about limiting non-heteronormative
reproduction as much as possible.

Speakers’ bio

Ivett Szalma is a research professor at the ELTE Centre for Social Sciences, Hungary, where she leads the ‘Momentum’ Reproductive Sociology Research Group. She is also an associate professor at Corvinus University of Budapest. Her research focuses on issues related to childlessness, attitudes towards same-sex couples and assisted reproduction.

Judit Takács is a research professor at the ELTE Centre for Social Sciences, Hungary. Her research focuses on family practices, childlessness, caring masculinities, homophobia and genderphobia. Her recent publications include a co-edited volume on Paradoxical Right-Wing Sexual Politics in Europe and a co-authored article on Resisting Genderphobia in Hungary.