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Child Well-Being in Same-Sex Parent Families: Review of Research Prepared for American Sociological Association Amicus Brief

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  • Wendy Manning
  • Marshal Fettro
  • Esther Lamidi

Abstract

Recent legal cases before the Supreme Court of the United States were challenging federal definitions of marriage created by the Defense of Marriage Act and California’s voter approved Proposition 8 which limited marriage to different-sex couples only. Social science literature regarding child well-being was being used within these cases, and the American Sociological Association sought to provide a concise evaluation of the literature through an amicus curiae brief. The authors were tasked in the assistance of this legal brief by reviewing literature regarding the well-being of children raised within same-sex parent families. This article includes our assessment of the literature, focusing on those studies, reviews and books published within the past decade. We conclude that there is a clear consensus in the social science literature indicating that American children living within same-sex parent households fare just, as well as those children residing within different-sex parent households over a wide array of well-being measures: academic performance, cognitive development, social development, psychological health, early sexual activity, and substance abuse. Our assessment of the literature is based on credible and methodologically sound studies that compare well-being outcomes of children residing within same-sex and different-sex parent families. Differences that exist in child well-being are largely due to socioeconomic circumstances and family stability. We discuss challenges and opportunities for new research on the well-being of children in same-sex parent families. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014

Suggested Citation

  • Wendy Manning & Marshal Fettro & Esther Lamidi, 2014. "Child Well-Being in Same-Sex Parent Families: Review of Research Prepared for American Sociological Association Amicus Brief," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 33(4), pages 485-502, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:poprpr:v:33:y:2014:i:4:p:485-502
    DOI: 10.1007/s11113-014-9329-6
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Michael Rosenfeld, 2010. "Nontraditional families and childhood progress through school," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 47(3), pages 755-775, August.
    2. van Gelderen, Loes & Gartrell, Nanette & Bos, Henny M.W. & van Rooij, Floor B. & Hermanns, Jo M.A., 2012. "Stigmatization associated with growing up in a lesbian-parented family: What do adolescents experience and how do they deal with it?," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 34(5), pages 999-1006.
    3. Michael Rosenfeld, 2013. "Reply to Allen et al," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 50(3), pages 963-969, June.
    4. Douglas Allen & Catherine Pakaluk & Joseph Price, 2013. "Nontraditional Families and Childhood Progress Through School: A Comment on Rosenfeld," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 50(3), pages 955-961, June.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Dorit Segal-Engelchin & Orit Taubman-Ben-Ari, 2023. "Editorial: Health and Well-Being Related to New Family Forms: Perspectives of Adults, Couples, Children, and Professionals," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(8), pages 1-8, April.
    3. Corinne Reczek & Russell Spiker & Hui Liu & Robert Crosnoe, 2016. "Family Structure and Child Health: Does the Sex Composition of Parents Matter?," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 53(5), pages 1605-1630, October.
    4. Justin Denney & Bridget Gorman, 2014. "Introduction: Population Perspectives on Sexual Minorities," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 33(4), pages 479-484, August.
    5. Diederik Boertien & Fabrizio Bernardi, 2019. "Same-Sex Parents and Children’s School Progress: An Association That Disappeared Over Time," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 56(2), pages 477-501, April.
    6. Geva Shenkman & Dorit Segal-Engelchin & Orit Taubman–Ben-Ari, 2022. "What We Know and What Remains to Be Explored about LGBTQ Parent Families in Israel: A Sociocultural Perspective," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(7), pages 1-15, April.
    7. Corinne Reczek & Russell Spiker & Hui Liu & Robert Crosnoe, 2017. "The Promise and Perils of Population Research on Same-Sex Families," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 54(6), pages 2385-2397, December.

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