Same-sex parenting study shows less rosy picture

University of Texas study says children raised by same-sex couples worse off

The homepage of The New Family Structures. a U. of Texas study of the family (www.familystructurestudies.com.)

Deborah Gyapong of Canadian Catholic News reports that a new report released by the University of Texas has raised eyebrows. The New Family Structures study has a large sample size of 15,000 Americans aged 18-39, making it more statistically representative of the U.S. national picture.

The study looks at behaviour rather than identity and asks respondents “if their biological mother or father ever had a romantic relationship with a member of the same sex.” Regnerus was able to find in his sample 175 children who were raised in homes where the mother had a lesbian relationship, and 73 from homes where the father had a homosexual relationship.

He found children raised in the same-sex-relationship homes did less well than children of biologically intact families on a range of outcomes: they were more likely to do poorly in school; to report lower mental and physical health; to experience depression; to be sexually molested; to experience unemployment or part-time employment as adults; to have been in trouble with the law. 

Andrea Mrozek, the Institute for Marriage and Family Canada (IMFC)’s research manager says the study was not claiming a cause and effect relationship. “The study does not attempt to address the 'why'; it does not assert causality,” she said.

Read the full story on The B.C. Catholic website.