Gay and Lesbian Parents and Their Children

Abstract

This chapter reviews research involving gay and lesbian parents in family court. It describes the different pathways to parenthood, including biological parenthood through the use of sperm donors, surrogacy, adoption, or individual families that include children who arrived through a combination of different pathways. There is much more research regarding lesbian mothers, with a greater need to focus on gay fathers, ethnic and racial minorities, multiracial families, lower-class families, adoptive families, and those living in rural areas. The chapter examines each study’s methodology and findings, including strengths and weaknesses—for example, whether study samples were random, whether selection criteria were clearly stated, and whether the sample size was adequate. Among the important findings are studies showing that in controlled studies, children and adolescents from gay and lesbian families are not at heightened risk for maladjustment, problem behavior, or delinquency. Factors associated with children’s adjustment and behavior were levels of parenting stress, parental interpersonal conflict, and levels of love expressed between the parents.