The symbolic power of legal kinship terminology: an analysis of ‘co-motherhood’ and ‘duo-motherhood’ in Belgium and the Netherlands

This article provides a theoretically grounded critical analysis of how the Belgian and the Dutch legal systems are addressing new kinship formations through the production of new legal terminology. As Belgium and the Netherlands are at the forefront of legal recognition of minority sexualities and emerging forms of relatedness, statutory Belgian ‘co-motherhood’ and Dutch ‘duo-motherhood’ for ‘lesbian parents’ (both enacted in 2014) cast some light on how European state family laws and policy frameworks are likely to evolve vis-à-vis the multiplication of new family formations. After tracing... Mehr ...