The very controversial topic of same sex marriage has raised many issues in the area of raising children. Some people feel that it is their right to be able to raise a child and others feel it is extremely wrong. People’s reasoning behind their opinions is different, but quality of life for the child should be the main concern. The only way to truly tell if the quality of life lessens for the child being raised by gay fathers or lesbian mothers is to look at the facts.

Mark Regnerus of the University of Texas at Austin conducted a study that has brought new light to the thought that same sex marriage children do not face more disadvantages than children from a married mother and father. In past studies, researchers have observed and studied children who are still living with their parents, and many times the information was filled out by the parents themselves. This leads to bias opinions and an invalid study (Sprigg). Regnerus decided to study adults ages 18-39 to see how their upbringing effected them then and how it has continued with them into their adulthood. 15,000 people were screened as potential candidates for the study, and 3,000 were selected. Of that 3,000, 175 people were raised by mothers in lesbian relationships and 73 were raised by fathers in  gay relationships.

The questions included:

• Yes or no: are you currently married, are you currently unemployed, have you thought recently about suicide?
• Place yourself on a scale: of educational attainment, happiness or depression, and household income.
• “Event count” which is the frequency something has happened of: smoking marijuana or being arrested and the number of sex partners.

The results were separated into three groups: those with “intact biological family” (IBF), aka raised by a mother and a father, those raised by gay fathers, and those raised by lesbian mothers. The study had 80 outcome measures that compared children of homosexual parents and IBF children. On 77 out of the 80 measures, children of homosexual parents were more likely to “deviate from the social norm in the case of their sexual orientation” (Sprigg). Regnerus wanted to make sure that the results were accurate and significant. He compared the results directly but also “‘Controlling for income,’ for example, would mean showing that “IBF” children do not do better just because their married parents have higher incomes, but that they do better even when the incomes of their households and the households of homosexual parents are the same” (Sprigg). This way, the comparisons are fair and give valid results.

The results of the study showed that in comparison to IBF children, the children of lesbians and gays:

• “Are much more likely to have received welfare (IBF 17%; LM 69%; GF 57%)
• Have lower educational attainment
• Report less safety and security in their family of origin
• Report more ongoing “negative impact” from their family of origin
• Are more likely to suffer from depression
• Have been arrested more often
• If they are female, have had more sexual partners–both male and female” (Sprigg).

Since there were fewer children of gay fathers in this study, the results were not significant enough. But since 71% of the homosexual children in the study were raised by lesbian mothers they found that they:

• “Are more likely to be currently cohabiting
• Are almost 4 times more likely to be currently on public assistance
• Are less likely to be currently employed full-time
• Are more than 3 times more likely to be unemployed
• Are nearly 4 times more likely to identify as something other than entirely heterosexual
• Are 3 times as likely to have had an affair while married or cohabiting
• Are an astonishing 10 times more likely to have been “touched sexually by a parent or other adult caregiver.”
• Are nearly 4 times as likely to have been “physically forced” to have sex against their will
• Are more likely to have “attachment” problems related to the ability to depend on others
• Use marijuana more frequently
• Smoke more frequently
• Watch TV for long periods more frequently
• Have more often pled guilty to a non-minor offense” (Sprigg).

Since this study had a small amount of children of homosexual parents, the results are not 100% convincing. It was an observational study so it does not rule out third variables, reverse causation, or chance. Also, there have been so many studies done on this topic that many of them come to different conclusions. For example, researchers from the University of Melbourne in Australia found very different results.

The Washing Post writes about how Simon Crouch led the study that surveyed 315 same-sex parents which added to 500 children in Australia. 80% of children had lesbian mothers and 18% had gay fathers. Compared with the general population, children of same sex marriage scored 6% higher on general health and family cohesion (Bever). Since many children of same sex marriages are given a stigma, it leads to bullying and uncomfortable situations for the child. This could beat down their self esteem, but according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children of homosexual parents have more of a resilience in regards to their stigmas and other people’s opinions.

This study was bigger, but the results are not as convincing. Benjamin Siegel, professor of pediatrics at the Boston University School of Medicine, told BU Today that “none of the studies have been a randomized, controlled trial and that all studies on same-sex parenting are small since there aren’t as many same-sex parents” (Bever). This is extremely true and every child’s case is different.

Studies on same sex marriage will continue to come to different results especially when third variables, reverse causation, and chance are so prevalent in every case. People still have their opinions, but in mine, I believe that children of same sex marriages do face disadvantages, but that is not to say that children of a mother and father do not face disadvantages as well. At this time, I cannot make a certain conclusion about whether children of same sex marriages experience negative effects from their upbringing.

Sources:

Sprigg, Peter. “Family Research Council.” Family Research Council. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2014.

Bever, Lindsey. “Children of Same-sex Couples Are Happier and Healthier than Peers, Research Shows.” Washington Post. The Washington Post, n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2014.