Climbing the Ladder: Subjective Social Status in a Sample of Youth From LGBTQ+ Parent Families

Subjective social status (SSS) is an important indicator of health outcomes, yet little is known about SSS among youth in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) parent families, who are characterized by substantial diversity (e.g., race/ethnicity, sexual and gender identity, socioeconomic status). Youth with LGBTQ+ parents are also underrepresented in the family science literature. To address this gap, this study involved semistructured interviews from 50 youth (12–25 years old) with LGBTQ+ parents in the United States regarding perceptions of their family’s SSS. A coding manual thematic analysis resulted in five themes: common indicators of socioeconomic status, language reflecting class status, behaviors reflecting class status, contextual understandings of SSS, and unexpected crises. Analyses suggested that participants’ (and their parents’) identities were descriptively associated with participants’ understanding of SSS. Findings provide a greater understanding of SSS and associated characteristics (e.g., gender identity; geographic region) among youth and broaden our understanding of how intersectional social positions may produce novel experiences and outcomes (e.g., gender and household structure impacting SSS rather than LGBTQ+ identity independently). These findings provide clear targets for interventions, community programs, and public policies that promote youth development, especially among LGBTQ+ parent families.