Research claims that children from same-sex parent families are less likely to be straight than adults
- The number of children in families of sexual minorities has increased in recent years
- But despite a shift in public attitudes, it still stirs controversy
Children from sexual minority families are less likely to identify as heterosexual adults, a study suggests.
Those raised in families where the sexual orientation or gender identity of the parents is considered outside of cultural, societal, or physiological norms fare as well as or better than those in “traditional” families.
Experts say it shows that parents’ sexual orientation is not a major determinant of child development.
The number of children in families with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer parents has increased in recent years.
But despite a shift in public attitudes, parenting with sexual minorities still sparks controversy, and whether parents’ sexual orientation influences family outcomes remains a matter of debate, the researchers say.
The number of children in families with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer parents has increased in recent years. But despite a shift in public attitudes, the parenting of sexual minorities still sparks controversy, and whether parents’ sexual orientation influences family outcomes remains a matter of debate, the researchers say.
They reviewed 34 relevant studies published between 1989 and 2022, conducted in countries where same-sex relationships were legally recognized.
The themes studied included children’s psychological adjustment, physical health, gender role behavior, gender identity/sexual orientation, and educational attainment; parental mental health and parenting stress; and parent-child relationships, relationship satisfaction, family functioning, social support.
Most family outcomes were comparable between these two family types, and in some areas, such as the child’s psychological adjustment – especially preschoolers – and child-parent relationships, these were even better in families with sexual minorities.
But the analysis indicated that sexual minority parents did not outperform different parent sex families in terms of couple relationship satisfaction, mental health, parenting stress, or family functioning.
They found that children who lived in sexual minority parents were less likely to be expected to identify as straight when they grew up than children who lived in “traditional” asylum families.
Dr. Chuanyi Ning, from Guangxi Medical University, China, who led the study, said: ‘There may be less gender stereotyping in families with minority parents, and this effect could be positive.
“Exploring gender identity and sexuality may actually enhance children’s ability to succeed and thrive in different contexts.”
Most of the study participants came from gay and lesbian households, and it was not possible to account for potentially influential demographic factors, according to findings published in BMJ Global Health.
But the researchers conclude that children from families of sexual minorities are not at a disadvantage compared to children from families with different sex parents.