Researchers at the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences of the University of Latvia (UL FESS) will conduct a comprehensive study to explore the most significant aspects of child-rearing in various family models. The project also aims to identify shortcomings in current family support systems and to propose improvements.
The Latvian Council of Science (LCS) has granted funding for the fundamental and applied research project “Same-Sex Partnerships: An Anthropological Study of Child-Rearing Outside the Heteronormative Environment.” The project will be led by Associate Professor Aivita Putniņa (UL FESS) and will be conducted over a period of three years. The research has practical significance: it will provide recommendations to adjust demographic and labour market policies to the actual needs of families in Latvia, ensuring better support for adults in balancing work, private, and family life, and creating a safer environment for children.
Family structures in Latvia are changing. According to the Central Statistical Bureau (CSB), in 2023, married couples with children made up only 37.7% of all families raising children. Another 8% were cohabiting heterosexual couples, while single-parent families accounted for 54.3% (CSB, 2021). This is the most common family model in Latvia, which includes diverse structures. The research project focuses on those “invisible families” in statistics and policies – families where children are raised by two same-sex partners (for example, relatives such as mother and daughter, or a same-sex couple). Currently, all of these are categorised by the state as single-parent families.
The scientific goals of the project are to expand knowledge about changes in kinship structures and to contribute to the development of theories on gender and family relations in a broader European context.
The research will develop evidence-based and practical recommendations to support these families and to identify gaps in current family support systems.
Participatory research methods will be employed, involving co-researchers with experience in such family structures. This approach will expand the scope of research questions in collaboration with them and engage the broader public in the research process.
"Even before the research begins, the public reaction highlights another important goal," says Associate Professor Aivita Putniņa. "The notion of the ‘natural’ family has been an ideological weapon used in propaganda by countries such as Russia. This study will also help explain why the topic is so sensitive in Latvia and sparks such strong societal reactions."
The project will be carried out by the UL FESS Public Anthropology research group – lecturers Zane Linde-Ozola, Artūrs Pokšāns, and Gareth Ewan Hamilton, under the leadership of Associate Professor Aivita Putniņa, with the involvement of students. The study is scheduled to commence in 2026 and is expected to be completed by the end of 2028.
