Navigating stigma amid class disparities: a qualitative study of same-sex couples in French schools

Navigating stigma amid class disparities: a qualitative study of same-sex couples in French schools, Genus, vol. 82, art. 10 (2026).

In this open access article, published in April 2026, Marta de la Torre Carreira, PhD candidate at CRIS, explores how same‑sex parent families, and especially two‑mother families, navigate stigma in French schools. Her starting question is straightforward: how do same‑sex couples concretely deal with comments, looks or silences surrounding their parenthood at school, and how do socio‑economic inequalities shape these strategies?

The study is based on in‑depth qualitative research, drawing on interviews with lesbian couples living in France and raising school‑aged children, together with close attention to school trajectories and interactions with education professionals. This empirical design makes it possible to capture both everyday practices (what to say or conceal, to whom and at which moment) and the broader social constraints that structure them.

The article highlights several ways of managing stigma: openly presenting the family configuration, strategically keeping a low profile, or delegating to children the task of explaining their family situation. Marta de la Torre Carreira shows that these patterns are not just a matter of individual preference, but are strongly connected to families’ economic and cultural resources, which shape their ability to negotiate the implicit norms of the school institution.