Verified Document

Effects Of Homosexual Parents On Children Literature Review Chapter

¶ … Homosexual Parents on Children Conversations around the appropriateness of homosexual parents adopting, having or even raising children pose the argument of the effects on the children. However, research of the effects is rare, as well as limited in the direct topic. To follow is a review of key pieces of literature discussing the concepts of diverse family environments and the effects the environments.

Evidence supports the knowledge that children do not learn how to be homosexual by interacting and upbringing by homosexual parents. In fact, more research leads to the belief that children of homosexual families have a broader understanding of sexuality and awareness, and most information points to a heterosexual environment in the learning process (Gabb, 2004). Suggesting that learning environments need more diversity, yet there is the stigmatic thought that "social codes of decency" (Gabb, 2004) are "universal truths and normality's" (Gabb, 2004) of what would be deemed as natural Christian-based forms of sexual behavior. While a household maybe diverse in sexual orientation, children of a homosexual relationship continue to learn and be aware of the complexities of same sex relationships (Wyers, 1987). Children learn the complexities of terminology and discrimination of roles within a household from the point-of-view of society. They hear terminology, derogatory at times, that supposedly define the role of one or both of the parents (Wyers, 1987).

Children of homosexual households grow up learning the social contexts of these special relationships. However, many argue that same sex parents damage the children irreversibly. According to Savin-Williams and Dube, (1998), MacDonald (1983) argues that such family relationships provide an unhealthy environment for the youth. Such environments, as argued by MacDonald, are uncommon and create traumatic environments that can restructure a child's life course (Savin-Williams & Dube, 1998). Yet, the little research that concludes that there is a certain amount of ambivalence to regarding relationship structures within...

Heterosexual households suffer from environment where procreation is lacking, a certain amount of sadness in adoptive scenarios, and the homosexual households see adoption as a form of building a family, not as a solution (Goldberg, Smith, & Kashy, 2010). Thus, in cases of adopted children households with homosexual parental units show improved relationship skills as the child grows, because of the diverseness within the household but also the understanding of the complexities of a loving family (Goldberg, Smith, & Kashy, 2010).
A child develops in a heterosexual household differently than a homosexual household, yet children still arrive at the same sets of relationship skills. Both types of parents show interpersonal strengths as well as vulnerabilities (Goldberg, Smith, & Kashy, 2010). Both types of environments also provide guidance for the child in terms of life's complex contextual stresses and provide equal amount of support and fostering of joy and happiness (Goldberg, Smith, & Kashy, 2010). Families of either types of structures show that Lesbian mothers have greater fulfillment in their role as mother, thus showing that the impact of family happiness is not necessarily with the child's experience but rather that the parents are the ones deeply impacted (Chan, Brooks, Raboy, & Patterson, 1998). Role responsibility distribution for the up bringing is different in same sex parent households, thus implying a different set of skills learned by the child in their adulthood (Chan, Brooks, Raboy, & Patterson, 1998). Skills learned by a young boy for instance in a lesbian-based home will be how to be both firm and gentle as a parent when they have children of their own; such examples as the aforementioned, show that children of homosexual households learn diversity skills for their own future family.

Generic family systems imply that the "subsystems within a family do not function separately from each other," but rather work in a cohesive manner (Chan, Brooks, Raboy,…

Sources used in this document:
Reference

(1978). Children of gays: Sexually 'normal'. Science News, 113(24), 389.

Chan, R., Brooks, R., Raboy, B., & Patterson, C. (1998). Division of labor among lesbian and heterosexual parents: Associations with children's adjustment. Journal of Family Psychology, 12(3), 402-419. doi:10.1037/0893-3200.12.3.402.

Cramer, D. (1986). Gay Parents and Their Children: A Review of Research and Practical Implications. Journal of Counseling & Development, 64(8), 504.

Gabb, J. (2004). Sexuality education: how children of lesbian mothers 'learn' about sex/uality. Sex Education, 4(1), 19-34.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Homosexual Marriage and the Effects of Parenting
Words: 1931 Length: 6 Document Type: Research Paper

Homosexual Marriage and the Impacts on Parenting Homosexual marriage refers to legal matrimony between two individuals of the same gender and it is a phenomenon which has come under a great deal of scrutiny and debate during the last few years. As of the time of this writing nine states have legalized gay marriage, and 31 states have constitutional amendments which ban gay marriage to some extent -- a fact alone

Gay Parenting Gay Parents Often
Words: 310 Length: 1 Document Type: Term Paper

The result of Osman's study, however, was that the acting out was not as a result of any difficulty associated with being raised by a lesbian couple. Rather, the idea was raised by a savvy child simply looking to avoid punishment. Other studies have accepted that any sexual conflict between homosexual parents expressed through certain attitudes or behavior towards a child is no different than the behaviors and attitudes directed towards

Gay Parenting Few Issues Have
Words: 2000 Length: 5 Document Type: Essay

Everyone of the 12 teenagers studied by Epstein R (2005) stated using choosiness about when they revealed news concerning their mothers' lesbian characteristics. Zanghellini (2007) discovered that 29% of his teeenage respondents had never met anyone else that lived a homosexual or had a bisexual parent, signifying that the option of loneliness is extremely genuine for teenagers. Possibly unconstructive results of any such separation have not, however, been exposed

Gay Adoption Is an Important
Words: 10332 Length: 30 Document Type: Term Paper

Of this group. 50% were male, 50% were female, 38% were White, 35% were Black, and 16% were Hispanic. Adoption statistics are difficult to find because reporting is not as complete as it should be. The government spent $2.6 billion dollars to conduct the 1990 Census, but still it under-represented minorities and categorized children as "natural or by adoption" without differentiating, while special laws were implemented to "protect" and

Gay Marriage on Children There
Words: 1451 Length: 4 Document Type: Research Paper

While the theories have existed for some time, finding corroborating evidence is problematic as the research suggests a different path. Pawelski et al. suggests that children raised in gay homes may experience isolation, peer ridicule, harassment, and depression. They also posit that these children have a higher propensity to consider suicide and attempt suicide. This internal confusion may be exacerbated by the absence of support groups and structures to assist

Children Raised by Stepparents of
Words: 6876 Length: 25 Document Type: Term Paper

These may include the parental workplace, school boards, social service agencies, and planning commissions." (Strengthening the Family: Implications for International Development, nd) Four: The Macro-system Macro-systems are 'blueprints' for interlocking social forces at the macro-level and their interrelationships in shaping human development. They provide the broad ideological and organizational patterns within which the meso- and exo-systems reflect the ecology of human development. Macro-systems are not static, but might change through evolution

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now