Chinese parents’ perceptions of including same-sex families in early childhood settings in Australia: Listening to voices of the first-generation immigrants

Little is known about parents’ perceptions of discussing the topic of same-sex families with young children in early childhood (EC) settings. This may impact EC educators' comfort in discussing this topic explicitly with young children. A careful analysis of the literature reporting empirical research involving immigrant families attending EC settings in Australia indicated that attitudes regarding inclusion are absent. This study sets a precedent in exploring the perspectives of first-generation immigrant parents of Chinese ancestry about inclusive practices for same-sex families in EC settings. A total of 54 Chinese parents (43 mothers and 11 fathers) with children who had attended EC settings completed an online survey, and five of these (four mothers and one father) engaged in follow-up interviews to probe issues in-depth. Analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data revealed three key findings regarding Chinese parents’ perceptions: (1) enhanced supportive attitudes when parents had contact with sexual minorities and exposure to accepting values of diverse gender and sexuality, while acculturation of attitudes was not detected; (2) an overall reluctance to support the inclusion of same-sex families in EC programs despite acceptance of lesbian and gay parents in society; and (3) exercised boundary and control over their own children’s education in response to changing attitudes towards same-sex families in Australian society. This study enables educators, policymakers, and researchers to listen to the voices of Chinese parents and, in turn, better understand how to improve the preparation and implementation of inclusive practice in supporting same-sex families in EC settings.