Myths and realities about same-sex families raising children

Myths and realities about same-sex families raising children

-- I. Answer: c. 27 percent

More than one in four of the nearly 600,000 same-sex couples identified in the U.S. census have a child under the age of 18 living in the home with them.

Source: Gary J. Gates and Jason Ost, "The Gay and Lesbian Atlas," Urban Institute Press, 2004. http://www.urban.org/gayatlas

-- II. Answer: c. Mississippi

Among the nearly 2,000 same-sex couples in Mississippi, as many as four in 10 (41 percent) are raising children under age 18. Other states with high rates of child-rearing among same-sex couples include South Dakota (40 percent), Alaska (38 percent), South Carolina (36 percent) and Louisiana (35 percent).

Far from being an urban or coastal phenomenon, same-sex couples raising children are found in 96 percent of all counties in the United States. Three of the five large metropolitan areas with the highest rate of child-rearing among same-sex couples are found in Texas. San Antonio, Houston and Fort Worth rank first, fourth and fifth respectively. Bergen-Passaic, N.J. and Memphis, Tenn., rank second and third. In all of those areas, at least one in three same-sex couples are raising children.

Source: Gary J. Gates and Jason Ost, "The Gay and Lesbian Atlas," Urban Institute Press, 2004. http://www.urban.org/gayatlas

-- III. Answer: c. 45 percent

The children of same-sex couples are much more racially and ethnically diverse than those being raised by different-sex married couples. Among the children of same-sex couples, 55 percent are white, 23 percent are Latino/a, 15 percent are black, 3 percent are Asian/Pacific Islander, 1 percent are Native American and the remaining 3 percent identified as some other racial category or as multi-racial. Thus, 45 percent of these children are non-white compared to 30 percent of the children of different-sex married parents.

This racial and ethnic diversity among the children reflects similar diversity among their parents. While 73 percent of different-sex married couples (age 25 to 55) with children are white, only 59 percent of their same-sex coupled counterparts identify as white. Thus, same-sex parents are more racially and ethnically diverse than their different-sex counterparts and their children are even more diverse.

Source: R. Bradley Sears, Gary J. Gates and William B. Rubenstein, "Same-Sex Couples and Same-Sex Couples Raising Children in the United States: Data From Census 2000," The Williams Institute, UCLA School of Law, 2005. http://www.law.ucla.edu/williamsinstitute/publications/USReportpdf

-- IV. Answer: c. $51,900

Same-sex couples with children in the U.S. have fewer economic resources to provide for their children than do their different- sex married counterparts. They have lower household incomes, are less educated, are less likely to own a home and live in homes of lesser value.

-- V. Answer: Only b. is true.

a. False. Adoption rates are higher among same-sex couples than among different-sex couples (6 percent vs. 4 percent), but the vast majority of children living with same-sex couples were identified as "natural born" in the U.S. Census.

b. True. Research on the impact of gay and lesbian parents on their children is relatively new and studies tend to be small and focused on subjects that are predominantly white and of relatively high economic status. However, findings across these studies are remarkably consistent in showing no negative consequences for children being raised by lesbian and gay parents with regard to standard child well-being measures.

Source: Judith Stacey and Timothy Biblarz, "(How) does the sexual orientation of parents matter?," American Sociological Review, Vol. 66 (2), 2001.

c. False. About two-thirds of the quarter-million children being raised by same-sex couples counted in Census 2000 live in states that do not guarantee same-sex parents the right to petition courts for a second-parent adoption. Such adoptions ensure that both partners have legal status as parents. This status is important for a variety of reasons, including ensuring that either parent can make needed medical decisions for the child in an emergency situation.

Source: Lisa Bennett and Gary J. Gates, "The Cost of Marriage Inequality to Children and Their Same-Sex Parents," Human Rights Campaign Foundation, 2004. http://www.hrc.org/childrenreport

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