Family, in the Austrian context, is still often seen exclusively as the union of a man and a woman, with gendered expectations attached to work and family life. This projects looks at same-sex couples with and without children in Austria from a demographic and sociological viewpoint. Laws prohibiting homosexuality date back only a few decades, sexual acts by lesbians and gays were banned under punishment until 1971. Today, same-sex couples are legally recognized in registered partnerships and marriage, but progress in homosexual rights often came about not because of political will but through constitutional court decisions. In Austria, a significant proportion of the population regards same- and different-sex relationships as unequal, with over a quarter of the population disagreeing with equal rights for gay, lesbian and bisexual people. Studying same-sex families in a conservative country is an important addition to the international literature.

Utilizing longitudinal register data accessed via the Austrian Micro Data Center (AMDC), the characteristics of same-sex families are analyzed, aiming to shed light on:

• Differences and similarities between male and female same-sex couples in registered partnership, marriage and cohabitation in aspects such as age (-difference), education, labour force participation, and parenthood status; as well as comparisons to different-sex couples in Austria.
• The transition to parenthood in female same-sex couples: Analysis will focus on socioeconomic characteristics as predictors for first birth as well as the decision which parent will give birth.
• Parental leave as an indicator for employment behaviour in female same-sex parents and the sharing of parental leave time between birthing and non-birthing parent.

Given that same-sex families are a vulnerable group facing discrimination, such evidence is urgently needed as a basis for policy and societal support of parents and children in these family forms.

Recipient of a DOC Fellowship of the Austrian Academy of Sciences at the University of Vienna.

Title: Same-sex families in Austria. An analysis of family and employment behaviour of lesbian and gay families based on register data
Acronym: SAMFA
Funding Body: DOC [Doctoral Fellowship Programme of the Austrian Academy of Sciences]
Project Number: DOC / 26959 
Project Investigator: Gwen Göltl
Time Frame: December 2024 – November 2027