Deborah Dempsey is Senior Lecturer in Sociology at Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia. She holds a BA and MA from the University of Melbourne and a PhD from La Trobe University. Deb’s research interests are in the sociology of families, relationships, personal life and ageing, particularly relatedness in the era of assisted reproductive technologies and the socio-legal aspects of same-sex relationships. Before becoming an academic, Deb conducted social research in the community and social marketing sectors.