Based on two longitudinal quantitative studies (elfe and deVhom), as also on a longitudinal qualitative study (Generation 2011) the present article questions the relation to the social environment and sociability practices within homoparental and hetero-parental families. An analysis is conducted into the ways in which gay and lesbian families are similar or different to heterosexual ones as far as friendly relations, entertainment practices and neighbourhood perceptions are concerned. Using multivariate analyses, an attempt is made to understand some of the ways the parents' lifestyle is developed and how it is extended to an educational style. For equal gender and social characteristics, some disparities can be observed between the two populations, thus pointing to certain of their specificities.