Polyamore Familien : wie Konzepte kollektiver Elternschaft den deutschen Familienbegriff zäsieren

Abstract

Polyamorous families are families who consist of more than two sexually and romantically related adults and their bio legal and social kin. They are largely invisible to society and research, yet they belong to the familial landscape and have seen an increase in representation on social platforms lately. Although German family models have been diversified within the last 30 years, they all rest upon the narrow guideline of hegemonic monogamy, which is one reason for the broad stigmatization of poly families. Through secondary data analysis of self-portraits of the families on social networks, this paper offers a first glimpse into the different types of polyamorous families who practice collective parenthood and dissects the specific characteristics of their intra- and extra-familial resources and challenges. Its intention is to highlight the contradictions in the daily lives of poly families within the framework of a heteronormative matrix. Since this field is so under-researched, there are a lot of themes that may need contribution, so another purpose of this paper is to raise and collect all the necessary questions for further scientific approaches. Polyamorous families feature distinct qualities, such as a focus on emotional intimacy and communication, a broad support network, the profound questioning of gender stereotypes and a bigger flexibility regarding relational dynamics. Properly researched, monogamous families, and all families for that matter, could be profiting from these strategies.