Dr Susie Bower-Brown: Family Beyond the Binary
About this Event
*Please note that this seminar will be held in-person in S1, Alison Richard Building, 7 West Road, Cambridge CB3 9DP, and online via Zoom. If you would like to attend in-person no registration is required. If you would like to attend online please register your place in advance. Zoom links will sent via eventbrite on the day of the event. Registration will close at 9.00am on Monday 2 November 2026.
Family Beyond the Binary: Exploring non-binary people’s experience of family life in the UK -- Dr Susie Bower-Brown
This seminar will present Family Beyond the Binary, a community-focused research project exploring non-binary people’s family experiences in the UK. Non-binary identities are increasingly visible, yet we have little research on how non-binary people define and experience family life. This project addresses that gap through an in-depth, multi-method study, combining a nationwide survey with participatory and creative interviews. Conducted in collaboration with Gendered Intelligence, the study has gathered survey responses from 230 non-binary people so far, and in-depth interviews with 30 non-binary people are currently underway. The seminar will begin by outlining the study's design, including how it was shaped by previous research and why a community-focused approach was adopted. It will then present emerging survey findings on decision-making around parenthood and on how participants define family, from traditional forms of family to chosen family and community. Finally, it will set out plans for interview analysis and dissemination.
Dr Susie Bower-Brown is an Associate Professor in Social Psychology at the Thomas Coram Research Unit, University College London. Susie’s interdisciplinary qualitative research explores LGBTQ+ identities and diverse family forms. Susie is currently leading an ESRC New Investigator Grant (2025-2028) exploring the family experiences of non-binary individuals in the UK. Susie’s work also focusses on the social experiences of trans and non-binary youth and experiences of those pursuing novel paths to parenthood, including reciprocal IVF and elective co-parenting.
www.familybeyondthebinary.co.uk
The UCCGS Gender Research Seminars offer academics and graduate students an opportunity to present their work-in-progress to a multi-disciplinary audience interested in gender, in a friendly and informal atmosphere. Seminars are held on specified days during Michaelmas and Lent and everyone is welcome to attend.
The seminars are organised and chaired by Sigal Spigel. If you would like more information about this series, or are interested in presenting your work at a Gender Research Seminar, please visit the Centre's website at:
https://www.gender.cam.ac.uk/Events/genderseminars
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