Subscribe to Breaking News
Loading ...Study says lesbians make better parents
11.24.2009 8:51am EST
Lesbians make better parents than a man and a woman, according to Stephen Scott, Director of Research, at the National Academy for Parenting Practitioners.
In a meeting hosted by the think tank Demos, Scott said that the latest research showed that children of such couples did better in life, reported UK Daily Express.Unsurprisingly, there has been a backlash from the conservative right, with critics saying that children need fathers and that children do best when raised by their married biological parents.
The Fathers4Justice campaign attacked the study for failing to promote the role of fathers. A spokeswoman told the Daily Express:
“This Government has introduced a new gender apartheid where fathers are marginalized and excluded from their children’s lives whereas other types of parent are celebrated and promoted. ‘Father’ has become the new ‘F’ word.”
The study, done by researchers at Birkbeck College in London and Clark University in Massachusetts. says that children that are brought up by female couples are less likely to be confined by traditional gender roles and would even aspire to more male professions, said the Daily Mail
The Christian Institute noted that researchers claim that same-sex couples made good parents because they could never accidentally conceive, but instead they have to actively choose to adopt or find a sperm donor. This does not take into account the many gay and lesbian couples who have children while in straight marriages.
Mary Cheney, the lesbian daughter of former Republican vice-president Dick Cheney, is expecting her second child. The Times reported her optimism in a recent interview:
“Every piece of remotely responsible research that has been done in the last 20 years has shown there is no difference between children raised by same-sex parents and children raised by opposite-sex parents. What matters is being raised in a stable, loving environment.”
I don’t think this study is saying to leave fathers out of raising “their” children. I read this article as saying that based on this particular study that lesbians do it better! No surprise there! Unlike hetero couples I doubt that any lesbians like our self will be protesting against opposite sex parents. The study merely shows that unlike straight people, most lesbians when wanting children, actually want to make the world better place not just as an extension of their crazy egos like those straights.
What’sw important in raising children is a sincere interest in the children, all aspects of their existence. Feeding, diapering, holding, instructing them, and nuturing them. Most str8 men chose to leave this to the women, not manly enough! Most men make the decision to marginalize themselves in their children’s lives. Until someone points this shortfall out, then they get upset for their choices. Raising a child is a full-time job. not 2 hours a day! Those fathers that make the difficult choice to be involve fully in their children’s lives, are the example for the rest of the men.
I wonder what the data say about 2 gay men raising kids. It’s an interesting premise nonetheless and I’m somewhat surprised by the answer of ‘fathers’ feeling marginalized. Instead of provoking self-inventory and reflection there’s claims of villification and persecution? Nice…maybe these low performing fathers should up their game. Instead of whining that they’ve been called out on the fact that they probably aren’t getting the job done in the best way based upon their own prejudices and shortsightedness.
Gender apartheid, my butt! Instead of whining about the research study, why don’t these guys just take care of their kids and be best fathers they can be? That’s the better way to refute the study.
I’m not at all surprised by this finding. Still less am I surprised by the conservative backlash. It’s unfortunate that some people think their opinions and prejudices should trump facts but those are the people who seem to be most allergic to facts.
Et voila, c’est tout.
Yay lesbians – you rock, we knew you rocked, and now they know you rock (if only they could admit it).
Does anyone know if it has been scientifically proven that gay men make better uncles than straight men?
Lesbians are not gay men. Please take you sexist comments to another blog. What do polls from 1978 have to do with a current study? As a practicing lesbian I can tell you that lesbians are very dedicated to their mates. And if the women had over 50 male partners they are straight and only pretended to be lesbian because they didn’t want to sleep with you, so there!
Here’s a link to the PDF document outlining the study, and providing a list of up-to-date references at the back (as all good researchers should) summarizing the previous research that has led to the current conclusions, in case anyone wants to read it (i.e. 366gay):
http://www.parentingacademy.org/UploadedFiles/Evaluating__evidence_lesbian_parents.pdf
I love how these right wing assholes always think that just by his mere presence the father makes a child’s life so much better. Well I can assure you that my life would be infinitely better had my father cut and run long ago. A father is not required for a stable, happy household. Neither are two parents, at that. All that matters is that the parent(s) that is involved loves their child and supports them unconditionally. Something that is far less likely from a heterosexual father in our current society, by the way.
The study is certainly interesting, but doesn’t say much. We have to realize that the studies need to be on larger scales to give a more accurate representation of the general population. Even combining multiple studies that each have too few sample sizes does not constitute good evidence.
What the researchers have to do now is to take this study and increase the sample size. They have some data, but it’s on way too small of a scale to truly verify their hypothesis. I can only say that it’s a start to a better study.
Of course, you cannot assume that from these studies alone that if you have two lesbian parents raising a child, the child will end up better than with heterosexual parents. Don’t mistake correlation for causation. What these studies may show is that two parents who are involved in the lives of their kid(s) will have better results than those that aren’t as involved. Sexual orientation would be irrelevant if that were found to be true.
On another note, I have to say this: what is the point that Facebook User is trying to make? Each of the comments is a series of (logical fallacy) non-sequiturs about gay sex and lesbians apparently only being divorcees and (logical fallacy) ad hominem attacks with terms such as “gay bias”, “homosexual pedophile thing”, and “homosexual primary causation factor”.
Oh, and last thing: ModernMystic, I am an uncle, and your statement is totally true
Also never heard of a lesbain killing her pregnant gf / wife. The incidents of domestic abuse & fiancal abondenment is GREATLY reduces as well the whole who the baby daddy drama is absent.
Also alot of lesbains take great CARE in selecting male role models for there children.Gay & straight men who share the traits they want to install in there children!
I’d like “them” to come up with a study of something everyone doesn’t know already. Women are better parents. Two women together, are much better parents. No shocker there.
Does planning make a baby better and her parents better?
Does our sexual orientation make us better parents?
I DOUBT IT!
There are so many variables in parenting, that it’s impossible to blame our sexual orientation or the lack of birth control or abortion as the reason we’re a good parent.
It just ain’t that simple.
I think Susan is missing the point: Any kind of quantitative research is going to be statistical. The data indicate that children parented by lesbians have a statistically siginificant representation in a ’success’ category as opposed to those not parented by lesbians. The inference is that lesbian couples are more effective parents by that statistical measure. Pointing to variables that may or may not be part of the study doesn’t negate the findings. C’mon people. This is a good story and good data. Much better than conservitards simply pulling out of their ass the idea that you need a dad. One study indicates you don’t and you’re better off with two moms.