According to international research, children raised by same-sex parents do as well as, or better in some respects than, those raised by heterosexual parents. Contrary to popular belief, gender identity does not have a negative effect on child development.
A new review study shows that children growing up in same-sex families are not at a disadvantage compared to those raised by heterosexual couples. The researchers set out to study the question as in many cultures, the number of children raised by families composed of homosexual, bisexual, transgender or queer parents has increased in recent years. In France, for instance, nearly 305,000 people in same-sex couples were cohabiting in 2020, compared with 170,000 in 2011, an increase of 80%, according to figures from the country’s National Institute of Demographic Studies (Ined). Among them, 27% of female couples and 6% of male couples live with at least one child under the age of 18.
Published in the journal BMJ Global Health, the research was conducted by researchers from Guangxi Medical University in China and Duke University School of Medicine in the United States. The researchers examined 34 studies published between 1988 and 2022 and conducted in countries where homosexuality is legal. These studies compared the development of children raised by heterosexual parents with those raised by lesbian and gay parents — and some studies also included families with bisexual, queer or transgender parents.
The studies were classed according to 11 main themes: children’s psychological adjustment, physical health, gender role behavior, gender identity/sexual orientation and educational attainment, parents’ mental health and parenting stress, parent-child relationships, couple relationship satisfaction, family functioning, social support.
In analyzing data from 16 of the 34 studies reviewed, the researchers found similar results between families with sexual-minority families and heterosexual families. They found that parents’ sexual orientation did not influence a child’s development. In some areas, outcomes were even better in sexual minority families. such as children’s psychological adjustment (especially among preschoolers) and parent-child relationships,
In terms of family functioning, couple relationship satisfaction, parental mental health, and parental stress, the research showed no differences based on parental sexual orientation.
“Growing up with sexual minority parents may confer some advantages to children. They have been described as more tolerant of diversity and more nurturing towards younger children than children of heterosexual parents,” the researchers explained in a press release
Nevertheless, “there are significant risk factors often associated with the sexual minority experience and family functioning, such as stigma, poor social support, and parenting styles," the researchers explain.
The researchers acknowledge various limitations to their findings, including the fact that the studies included were limited to regions (primarily in Europe and North America) where same-sex relationships were legalized and where the social climate for these families is generally favorable. In addition, four of the 16 studies included were judged to be at moderate risk of bias, while one used definitions labeled as controversial by the researchers..
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)