Rockway Institute In the News

New research from the Netherlands shows that children raised by lesbian couples are as well-adjusted as those raised in heterosexual-parent families. The study shows results nearly identical to similar research in the United States, according to the Rockway Institute, a national center for public policy and research on LGBT issues.
“Children do well in loving families, regardless of whether there are two moms or a mom and a dad involved,” Robert-Jay Green, director of Rockway Institute, said in a statement.

The analysis was of 200 couples with boys and girls ages 4–8 -- half the parents were heterosexual, half lesbians. Child adjustment and parental characteristics were measured by questionnaires, family observations by researchers, and diaries kept by parents recording the amount of time they spent child rearing, working around the house, and working outside their home.

The results showed that lesbian biological mothers were more satisfied with their partners as a coparent than heterosexual mothers were. It was also shown that lesbian mothers were more committed to the task of parenting than straight fathers.

There were significant differences in the division of family tasks, with both of the lesbian partners spending more time on household work and child care, and less time at work outside the home, than the heterosexual fathers.
“These results on lesbian parents pique our curiosity for more data on gay male parents,” said Green. “Will gay fathers’ parenting styles turn out to be more like those of heterosexual fathers, heterosexual mothers, or some combination? One of Rockway’s planned research projects will shed light on that question in the future.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Psychiatric Association, and the American Psychological Association have all voiced support for equal treatment of families headed by lesbian and gay parents, according to the statement.