Children of same-sex couples fare at least as well as in other families – study

The children of same-sex couples fare conscionable arsenic well, if not better, than those of heterosexual couples, probe has shown.

While information connected alleged “sexual number families” is limited, the UK’s Office for National Statistics recorded 212,000 same-sex families successful the UK successful 2019, a 40% emergence since 2015. The fig of same-sex parents roseate from 4,000 successful 2010 to 12,000 successful 2013.

A caller survey backs up erstwhile research, concluding that a child’s improvement has small to bash with their parents’ intersexual predisposition oregon sex identity.

“Contrary to galore concerns, our reappraisal recovered astir household outcomes were akin betwixt these 2 household types, and intersexual number families person adjacent amended outcomes successful immoderate domains, specified arsenic kid intelligence accommodation and child-parent relationships,” the researchers wrote.

The findings chime with respective different studies, including 3 decades of probe from Australia that revealed children raised by same-sex parents bash arsenic good emotionally, socially and educationally arsenic their peers successful heterosexual families.

The latest study, published successful the diary BMJ Global Health by researchers successful the US and China, is based connected investigation of 34 studies from countries wherever same-sex relationships are legal, including the US, UK and parts of Europe. These studies compared the improvement of children raised by heterosexual parents with those brought up by lesbian and cheery parents – and immoderate studies besides included the families of bisexual, queer oregon transgender parents.

The squad analysed information from 16 of the studies and recovered that intersexual number parents reported importantly less intelligence problems among preschool-age children than heterosexual parents, though nary quality was recovered among older, school-age children.

While household functioning, mates narration satisfaction, parental intelligence wellness and parenting accent showed nary differences based connected parents’ intersexual orientation, successful immoderate areas intersexual number families look to fare better.

“Sexual number genitor groups showed higher levels of parent-child narration quality, specified arsenic higher levels of warmth, greater amounts of enactment and much supportive behaviour, erstwhile compared with the heterosexual genitor groups,” the researchers wrote.

Dr Rachel Farr, an adept successful LGBTQ+ genitor families astatine the University of Kentucky, who was not progressive with the work, raised concerns that the survey took into relationship controversial oregon adjacent discredited research – including a survey that suggested having same-sex parents increases the likelihood of antagonistic social, affectional and relational outcomes.

Deni Mazrekaj, an adjunct prof of sociology astatine Utrecht University, besides raised concerns, noting that immoderate probe included successful the survey had been misinterpreted arsenic suggesting children from same-sex families had poorer world performance, portion different pertinent research had not been included.

However, Farr said the review’s conclusions reflected the findings of a ample assemblage of research. “The wide connection is the same,” she said. “The intersexual predisposition and sex individuality of parents are acold little important to children’s outcomes and improvement arsenic compared to what happens wrong families, specified arsenic the prime of parenting and household relationships.”