Wave the rainbow flags because, according to a groundbreaking study which is the largest of its kind, research from Australia’s University of Melbourne indicates that children with gay parents are happier and healthier than children with heterosexual parents.
Dr. Simon Crouch, lead researcher from the Jack Brockhoff Child Health and Wellbeing Program, Centre for Health Equity at the University of Melbourne, said in an interview with CNBC, "It appears that same-sex parent families get along well and this has a positive impact on health."
Crouch believes that an emphasis on skills, as opposed to traditional gender roles, accounted for the survey's results, according to the Huffington Post.
Crouch said, "So what this means is that people take on roles that are suited to their skill sets rather than falling into those gender stereotypes. What this leads to is a more harmonious family unit and therefore feeding on to better health and wellbeing."
In addition, the children surveyed scored the same as those raised by heterosexual parents in the categories of mental health, self-esteem, and behavior.
However, researchers identified a serious hurdle for children of same-sex parents as more than two-thirds of the children reported experiencing the anti-LGBT stigma.
Crouch and his team of researchers surveyed more than 500 children from 315 same-sex parents across Australia.
The study states that 18 percent of the children had male parents, 80 percent had female parents, and the other 2 percent were other-gendered parents. The ages of the children were from 0-17 years of age and 93 percent of the parents are currently in a relationship.
It is worth noting that the study compares same-sex parents and their children to the general population and doesn’t compare same-sex parents directly with opposite-sex parents. Also, the participants in the study were not randomized but were selected from those who agreed to participate.
Recently, two other studies have also shown positive results. For example, the 2014 Williams Institute report found that children of lesbians had lower conduct problems than those of heterosexual couples, and found that the children of lesbian parents had higher self-esteem.
According to CBS Las Vegas, the Adolescents with Lesbian Mothers Describe Their Own Lives 2012 study found that these teenagers have strong family bonds with two moms, and have maintained solid high school GPAs.
Click here for the full study.
Sources:
Bever, Lindsey. "Children of Same-sex Couples Are Happier and Healthier than Peers, Research Shows." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 7 July 2014. Web. 11 July 2014.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/07/07/children-of-same-sex-couples-are-happier-and-healthier-than-peers-research-shows
"Media Yawns At Landmark Study On Same-Sex Parenting." Media Matters for America. Web. 13 July 2014.
http://mediamatters.org/mobile/blog/2014/07/10/media-yawns-at-landmark-study-on-same-sex-paren/200064
Wong, Curtis M. "Children Of Gay Parents Are Happier And Healthier Than Their Peers, New Study Finds." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 07 July 2014. Web. 14 July 2014.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/07/children-of-gay-parents-study-_n_5563547.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000063
"Healthier With Same-Sex Parents?" Taking Note Facts Figures Healthier With Same Sex Parents Comments. Web. 14 July 2014.
http://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/07/07/facts-figures-healthier-with-same-sex-parents
Reviewed July 15, 2014
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith