ABSTRACT
“Do you have a family?” has become a commonplace euphemism for having children and, usually, a husband. Like others in our society, lesbians associate having a child with “starting a family.” For women who had their children during marriages, continuing ties with children can come to represent the stability of the most meaningful of family links. For women who had their children outside of marriages, having a baby can represent their ability to overcome both concrete barriers and social disapproval, to demand a piece of family life that they value.
