“The Changing Reality of the American Family- Same Sex Parenting “
An estimated two million children are being raised in a single or same sex parent in the United States. The exact number of children raised in this type home cannot be determined due to the secrecy resulting from the stigma associated with homosexuality (Perrin, Siegel 3). Families of same sex parents often resemble step families formed after heterosexual couples divorce. Due to social acceptance of diversity in sexual orientation (Perrin 2), same sex parenting is forever changing the traditional make-up of the American Family (working biological father, biological mother and children.) There are conflicting researches on the impact of a child being raised in a same sex parent family. Many argue that a child’s well-being should focus more on a loving, nurturing, and supportive environment while others argue that children of same sex parents are at a greater disadvantage due to the social stigma associated with being gay, lesbian or bisexual. This controversial issue has received national attention throughout the media and the United States Supreme Court.
Advocates of same sex parenting argue that a child’s well-being is affected more by their relationships with their parents; being raised in a loving, nurturing, and supportive environment than the gender or the sexual orientation of their parents. There have been studies that state that the child well-being is affected much more by the relationships with their parent’s sense of competence and security, and the presence of social and economic support for the family, than by the gender or the sexual orientation of their parents (Perrin, Siegel 3). The Official Journal of Pediatrics state, “Not a single study ha...
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...sible to say how being a part of a same sex parent family will affect a child well-being. I feel that being a good parent has nothing to do with a person’s sexuality or sexual orientation. Much of the research conducted on same sex parents and the effects on children have been biased and not scientific in many ways. There is so much disagreement among researchers that we cannot come to a conclusion about children who are raised by parents of the same sex. In my opinion love and nurturing is what is important when raising a child. Love is love regardless of who provides it. Statically it is better to have two parental figures than one, but that does not have anything to do with the gender or sexual orientation of the parents. In my opinion the greatest influence on a child’s future and well-being is the parents or caregivers during their childhood.
Second parent adoption is an important tool utilized by same-sex couples in an effort to protect their parental rights in states where same sex marriage is not recognized. Although gay and lesbian paren...
This academic journal written by Timothy J. Biblarz and Judith Stacey is to attack the well-known idea of children needing both a mother and father role in their household. Biblarz is an associate professor of sociology and gender studies at the University of Southern California, while Stacey is also a professor of sociology at New York University, formerly working alongside Biblarz. Both are very passionate about gender, family, and sexuality studies, mainly emphasizing the effects of same-sex parenting. Stacey wrote the novel, Unhitched, which diminishes the popular belief about different gender parenting from her experiences. Biblarz and Stacey conduct a very detailed research study on both same-sex households, as well as heterosexual households to see what the similarities and differences are. Throughout this journal, the two conclude that children do not need a mother and father figure to function properly, as they are just as well off, if not better, with lesbian or gay parents.
outcomes, and romantic relationships of adolescents with same-sex parents. Child Development, 75, 1886-1898. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2004.00823.x
In today’s society, family structure has changed dramatically from the traditional nuclear family to the unconventional, such as single parenting or same sex families. Over the years, many individuals questioned whether or not a parent’s sexual orientation affected their child’s sexual preference. There is significant research that has shown that children with lesbian parents do not differ from children with heterosexual parents. Many individuals stated that it is the value of the parent’s relationship with the child and not the parent’s sexual orientation that affects the child’s development. Contrary to the popular belief, children raised by lesbian parents are not more likely to become gay than children who are raised by heterosexual parents. A parent’s sexual orientation has said to have little importance to children other than the family togetherness. In other words, the relationship of the parent and child is far greater important than the sexual orientation of one’s parents. To be a good parent to a child has nothing to do with one’s sexual preference, but how well one takes care of that child emotionally, physically, financially, and mentally. Before the 20th, century children were often seen as miniature versions of adults so there was little consideration to children development in cognitive and physical development. The interest of child development did not peak until the early 20th century. Conscientious parenting happens not only within traditional nuclear families, but also within homosexual families. Both traditional nuclear and homosexual families can have positive and negative effects on children’s cognitive, psychological or behavioral development due to their rearing.
Discrimintaion and equality in society is faced amongst people every day. One certain subject that seems to get most of this attention is whether or not homosexual couples should be able to adopt. Same sex couples should be able to adopt children for many reasons. Children that are raised by same sex parents are predominantly taught to be more open minded, have a greater sense of tolerance, and are thought of to be role models for equality in relationships and life. Most would say that these children will face issues regarding their parents sexual orientation, but this is not so. Children of same sex parents have studied to show very few differences in achievement, mental health, and social function as a child that is raised in a heterosexual household. Same sex parents will allow their child to express themselves through different talents and other attributes that there child seems to be indulged in. These children are often showing more loving, nurturing ,and outgoing behaviors that is exposed to them through gay parenting.
Perrin, Ellen C., and Benjamin S. Siegel. "Promoting the Well-Being of Children Whose Parents Are Gay or Lesbian." Pediatrics 131.4 (2013): 1374-383. PDF file.
Although sixteen states have legalized same-sex marriage, the idea of same-sex parenting remains a controversial topic in America. As American families continue to vary from the traditional heterosexual husband and wife headed families, developmental differences among the children reared by two lesbians or two gay men pique the interest of both the public and developmental psychologists. Perhaps children raised by two mothers or two fathers will exhibit much different gender role behaviors and identify differently with their gender than children reared by heterosexual parents. By observing children raised by different parental groups the possible differences, and subsequent benefits, in gender identity and sex roles can be discerned.
Homosexuality as a whole has been and is still a very controversial topic globally. There are many different kinds of discussions about the LGBT community, such as gays and lesbians being parents. Some critics tend to believe that homosexual parenting is bad for kids, as if a person’s sexuality determines whether or not they are a good parent.. There is no definite proof that being homosexual makes you a good or bad parent. So, there is no way of being one-hundred percent sure that homosexual parenting results in gender role confusion, psychological harm, or a child being homosexual themselves.
In recent years, same-sex relationships have become more encompassing in US society. State legislation is changing such as accepting gay marriages, enforcing anti-discrimination laws, and legal gay adoptions; the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community is becoming public. Gay-headed families, like heterosexuals, are diverse and varying in different forms. Whether a created family is from previous heterosexual relationships, artificial insemination, or adoption, it deserves the same legal rights heterosexual families enjoy. Full adoption rights needs to be legalized in all states to provide a stable family life for children because sexual orientation does not determine parenting skills, children placed with homosexual parents have better well-being than those in foster care, and there are thousands of children waiting for good homes.
Since the 1970s, studies on the effect of same-sex parenting on children have been conducted in the United States. Sociological debates have occurred from the idea of allowing same-sex couples to parent. Some groups feel that allowing this would undermine the traditional ideology of marriage and skew the perception of gender roles for their children. Sociologists continue to produce empirical research that studies samples of the approximately 125,000 same-sex couples raising nearly 220,000 children and comparing their roles as parents and the adult personalities of their children to children raised by heterosexual couples. Current scientific research comparing the outcomes of children raised by gay or lesbian parents with children of heterosexual parents consistently shows that same-sex parents are just as capable of raising “psychologically healthy and well-adjusted” children as heterosexual parents. Research comparing children raised by same-sex couples and heterosexual couples found no differences in the adjustment or mental health of these children as adults.
It 's 2015, same sex marriage is legalized in the U.S., yet not all adoption agencies allow homosexual couples to adopt. It is only allowed by law to have homosexuals to a joint adoption in 11 states. Adoption has been around since the 1920’s and has been a way to help orphan children gain a family. Not everyone is willing to adopt, whether it is because they don 't want a child, or they have children of their own, and it is not in their budget to adopt another. In the end there is still a large quantity of orphaned children hoping and waiting for a chance to be loved and welcomed by a family. There is an estimated amount of 153 million orphans world -wide and there are 397,122 children in the United States without a permanent family or a home. There is a way to fix that by allowing gay couples to adopt. Throughout the years America has proven their acceptance
There indicators of child developmental outcomes were categorized into parent and child relationship quality, children’s cognitive development, children’s gender role behavior, children’s gender identity, children’s sexual preference, and children’s social and emotional development. There analysis showed that children with same-sex parents fared equally to children raised by heterosexual parents when comparing developmental outcomes. Same-sex parents also reported a significantly better relationship with their children than heterosexual parents, which was measured by the parent or child perception of the quality of their relationship. This goes back to the argument that parent sexuality has no impact on the child but rather the relationship between the parent and the child has is the most impactful. In Crowl, Ahn and Baker (2008) meta-analysis study also found that the parent sexual orientation had no effect on gender identity, cognitive development, psychological adjustment, and sexual
Over the decades, a significant mark of the evolution of gender is the increasing social phenomenon in how society conceptualizes gender. Gender is a system of social practices for characterizing people as two different categories, femininity and masculinity and arranging social relations of inequality on the basis of that difference (Ridgeway & Correll 2004). Gender-neutral parenting (GNP) refers to raising children outside of the traditional stereotypes of girls and boys. It involves allowing children to explore their innate personalities and abilities rather than confining them into rigid gender roles that society has shaped. It can be argued that it is through socialization children discover how to operate in gendered structures, learn
I believe that same sex marriage should not have to be legalized. It should be something that is normal; However, It is not. Presently, there are organizations in multiple states trying to influence the government to legalize same sex marriage. Honestly, I’m all for it. Like Frank Ocean says “Marriage should be between love and love…Not a man and a woman.”
Marriage naturally creates families; it provides the conditions for a healthy environment that is beneficial to the upbringing of children. Opponents of same-sex marriage often ground their arguments on parental and religious concerns. Many argue that sa...