Parenting Aspirations of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Heterosexual Childless Individuals in Ecuador

The desire to have children holds profound significance for many individuals and couples. This study aimed to explore the parenting aspirations of 409 lesbian, gay, bisexual, and heterosexual individuals residing in Ecuador who completed an online survey. Our objective was to examine their aspirations toward parenthood, including the number of children desired, preferred methods for achieving parenthood, the importance of biological ties, and past attempts to have children. Our findings indicate that approximately half of our sample expressed a desire to have children, with a majority intending to pursue parenthood. Contrary to our expectations, there were no statistically significant differences in parenting aspirations based on sexual orientation. Heterosexual and bisexual individuals tended to prefer sexual intercourse as the method for having children and expressed wanting more children. In contrast, adoption and surrogacy were more commonly favored by lesbian and gay individuals. A minority of participants reported previous attempts to have children. These results are discussed within the sociocultural and legal context of Ecuador.

本研究旨在探讨厄瓜多尔LGBT人群的育儿愿望和意图，并与异性恋人群进行比较，重点关注愿望的强度及其家庭构建的偏好，包括育儿方法、理想子女数量以及对生物关系的重视程度。研究还分析了参与者过去尝试过的育儿方法，同时单独考察女同性恋、男同性恋和双性恋群体的独特考虑，特别是双性恋者在不同伴侣性别背景下的养育愿望和家庭建设选择。

该研究采用非实验性横断面设计，通过滚雪球抽样在社交媒体和NGO网络上招募参与者，共收集561份问卷，最终纳入符合条件的409名顺性别参与者进行分析。研究使用在线问卷调查，包含人口学信息、育儿意愿与计划、家庭构建偏好及以往育儿尝试等内容。数据分析采用描述性统计、Pearson卡方检验、Cramer’s V及t检验，使用R软件完成。

这项研究揭示了厄瓜多尔无子女个体的育儿愿望及偏好，约47.7%的参与者表示希望有孩子，其中超过60%有具体计划。结果显示，不同性取向群体（异性恋、LG、双性恋）在育儿愿望和频率上无显著差异，这可能与样本中LG个体受教育水平高、收入较高的特权地位有关。研究还发现，不同性取向在家庭构建方式上存在差异，例如LG个体更倾向代孕和联合收养，而异性恋者更偏好通过异性间性行为生育。尽管面临法律和结构性障碍，LGB个体的育儿愿望受到社会文化环境的影响，包括家庭价值观和对非传统家庭模式的接受度。研究强调政策制定对促进包容性环境的重要性，并呼吁未来研究涵盖更广泛的性别与性取向群体。