Patriarchy is not broken, it is softly remixed: masculinities and gay fatherhood in Chinese surrogacy families

surrogacy negotiate fatherhood within family structures shaped by neo-familism. Drawing on data from 19 in-depth interviews with urban gay surrogacy fathers, and placing the analysis in dialogue with concepts from masculinity theory such as hegemonic and hybrid masculinity, the study highlights two axes of masculine negotiation: relations between men and women, and relations between partners. It identifies hybridised forms of gay fathering that combine increased parental involvement with caring masculinities, while showing how gendered divisions of labour persist through kinship resources. Within gay father partnerships, both partners' parenting practices are shaped by prevailing masculine norms. However, class position and biogenetic ties often create unequal forms of parental authority and caregiving responsibility. The study contributes to scholarship on masculinities, Chinese families, and parenting well-being in sexual-minority families.