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Children Raised by Gay Couples Show Good Progress Through School, Study Finds
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100831091240.htm
ScienceDaily (Aug. 31, 2010) — In nearly every discussion, debate or
lawsuit about gay marriage, the talk at some point turns to family
values.
Do gay couples make for good parents? Will their children -- whether
adopted, conceived with the help of a surrogate or brought in from a
pre-existing relationship -- adjust, adapt and succeed in a world
dominated by traditional families?
The answers usually depend on who's giving them, and come dressed in
anecdotes and colored by bias. But Stanford sociologist Michael
Rosenfeld brings something new to the conversation: facts and figures
derived from the country's largest data bank -- the U.S. Census.
In a study published this month in the journal Demography, Rosenfeld
concludes that children being raised by same-sex couples have nearly
the same educational achievement as children raised by married
heterosexual couples.
By mining data from the 2000 Census, Rosenfeld was able to figure out
the rates at which children in all types of families repeated a grade
during elementary or middle school. According to his findings, nearly
7 percent of children raised by heterosexual married couples were held
back a year, while about 9.5 percent of children living with adults
identifying themselves as same-sex partners repeated a grade.
The difference between the groups pretty much vanishes when taking
into account that the heterosexual couples were slightly more educated
and wealthier than most gay parents, Rosenfeld said.
"The census data show that having parents who are the same gender is
not in itself any disadvantage to children," he said. "Parents' income
and education are the biggest indicators of a child's success. Family
structure is a minor determinant."
Rosenfeld's findings have been cited by lawyers fighting Proposition
8, the gay marriage ban passed by California voters in 2008. A federal
court judge recently overturned the ban, but his ruling is under
appeal.
Rosenfeld's study shows that children of gay and married couples had
lower grade-repetition rates than their peers raised by opposite-sex
unmarried couples and single parents. And all children living in some
type of family environment did much better than those living in group
housing. Those who were awaiting adoption or placement in a foster
home were held back about 34 percent of the time.
"One of the fundamental issues in modern family law that differs from
state to state is whether same-sex couples can adopt," Rosenfeld said.
"My research makes clear that there's a huge advantage to kids to be
out of the care of the state and into the care of any family, even if
the family is not perfectly optimal."
Educators, policymakers and social scientists have long known that
children left back in school are at greater risk than their peers for
not finishing high school and getting into trouble.
Because gays and lesbians make up such a tiny sliver of the American
population -- only 1 percent -- it has been difficult for researchers
to conduct a representative study of how their children perform in the
classroom. And gay marriage opponents have criticized earlier studies
for having sample sizes that are too small.
"Sample size is power," Rosenfeld said. "And the census is the biggest
sample we have. This study is based on a sample of thousands and
thousands of kids."
Most personal decisions about gay marriage are based on gut feelings,
religious beliefs and individual experiences. Rosenfeld knows his
research isn't going to change the minds of most people opposed to
same-sex unions. But he has added new data to the debate that helps
debunk assertions -- whether based on a lack of knowledge or some
unfounded fear -- that children raised by gay couples cannot thrive.
"Social scientists have an obligation to shed light where they can on
issues that are roiling the public," he said. "Sometimes we have to
throw up our hands and admit that something is unknowable. But in this
case, we could bring some real hard data to bear on an area that was
otherwise really in the dark."
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by
ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by Stanford University.
The original article was written by Adam Gorlick.
Journal Reference:
1. Michael J. Rosenfeld. Nontraditional Families and Childhood
Progress Through School. Demography, 2010; 47 (3): 755 DOI:
10.1353/dem.0.0112
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"Ethics" is simply a last-gasp attempt by deist conservatives and
orthodox dogmatics to keep humanity in ignorance and obscurantism,
through the well tried fermentation of fear, the fear of science and
new technologies.
There is nothing glorious about what our ancestors call history,
it is simply a succession of mistakes, intolerances and violations.
On the contrary, let us embrace Science and the new technologies
unfettered, for it is these which will liberate mankind from the
myth of god, and free us from our age old fears, from disease,
death and the sweat of labour.
Rael
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