STUDY: KIDS OF GAY PARENTS HEALTHIER & HAPPIER

Another study has found that children raised by gay parents do just as well, if not better in some ways, than those raised by straight couples.

Conducted by researchers from the University of Melbourne, the study – said to be the largest of its kind – surveyed 315 Australian same-sex couples, mainly lesbian, and their 500 children.

The scientists aimed to assess if the children were negatively affected by stigma or because of lacking a parent of one or the other sex.

The researchers concluded that, compared to the results of similar surveys among heterosexual parents, Australian children with same-sex parents appear to be healthier and happier in a number of areas, even though they do often face some stigma.

“Around two-thirds of children with same-sex parents experienced some form of stigma due to their parents’ sexual orientation which, of course, impacts on their mental and emotional well-being,” wrote one of the study’s authors Simon Crouch.

Nevertheless, he said that the results “found that children from same-sex families scored, on average, 6% better on two key measures, general health and family cohesion…. But on most health measures, including emotional behaviour and physical functioning, there was no difference when compared with children from the general population.”

Crouch commented that the study’s findings adds to existing international research that shows that being raised by same-sex parents has no significant detrimental impact on children.

“Interestingly, there is growing evidence to suggest that the structure of same-sex parent families, particularly in relation to work and home duties, plays an important part in how well families get along,” he noted, explaining that, “Same-sex parents, for instance, are more likely to share child care and work responsibilities more equitably than heterosexual-parent families.”

Crouch concluded that “instead of criticising these loving family units perhaps it is time to see what we can learn from them – for the benefit of all our children.”

The study was published by the journal BMC Public Health.