LGBTQ+ Parents’ Care and Work Arrangements During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Canadian Mixed-Methods Study

Existing research on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on parents' care and work responsibilities has largely ignored the experiences of LGBTQ+ parents. Most gender divisions of labor studies have actively excluded LGBTQ+ parents and/or failed to ask about parents' sexuality. This mixed-methods study used a combination of an online survey (n = 4683, 350 identifying as non-heterosexual) and virtual interviews (9 interviews with 14 parents) in conjunction with a digital application, the Care/Work Portrait, to learn about how Canadian LGBTQ+ parents' care and work arrangements were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. We found that a mixed-methods approach allowed us to learn about both group-level trends across parents with different sexual identities and the in-depth experiences of LGBTQ+ parents specifically. LGBTQ+ parents reported greater change in care/work arrangements during the pandemic than non-LGBTQ+ parents. Family composition and creation was important in understanding LGBTQ+ parents' experiences and arrangements. Beliefs and practices around gender were distinctive for LGBTQ+-identified parents. We present methodological insights and discuss ways in which researchers need to adjust their assumptions and practices to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on diverse families, including those with LGBTQ+ parents.