For all the sturm und drang about children of same-sex families somehow being deficient in (fill in the blank), the research certainly doesn’t seem to back that claim up. In fact, according to “the world’s largest study on the children of same-sex parents,” these kids are doing just as well kids of straight families. And dare I say, some are even doing better.
The Age reports that this conclusion is just an “initial finding” from this study, currently happening at Melbourne University. The Australian Study of Child Health in Same-Sex Families is scrounging up data from 500 kids (up to age 17). A large portion of the 315 participating bisexual, gay, and lesbian parents were women (80 percent).
What researchers uncovered isn’t exactly mind-blowing, but in current political climates, it does warrant a megaphone:
An interim report found there was no statistical difference between children of same-sex couples and the rest of the population on indicators including self-esteem, emotional behaviour and the amount of time spent with parents.
However, children of same-sex couples scored higher than the national average for overall health and family cohesion, measuring how well the family members get along.
Dr. Simon Crouch, the lead researcher on this study, has a theory as to why some children of same-sex families might be more well-adjusted than those of heterosexual parents:
”Because of the situation that same-sex families find themselves in, they are generally more willing to communicate and approach the issues that any child may face at school, like teasing or bullying…This fosters openness and means children tend to be more resilient. That would be our hypothesis.”
By all means, keep testing.