Heterosexual Mothers Research Articles

Children raised in fatherless families from infancy: a follow-up of children of lesbian and single heterosexual mothers at early adolescence.

An increasing number of lesbian women and single heterosexual women are bringing up children with no male involvement. This study follows up to adolescence a sample of children raised in fatherless families from birth or early infancy. Twenty-five lesbian mother families and 38 families headed by a single heterosexual mother were compared with 38 two-parent heterosexual families. The quality of parenting by the mother, and the social and emotional development of the child, were assessed using standardised interview and questionnaire measures administered to mothers, children and teachers. Children in fatherless families experienced more interaction with their mother, and perceived her as more available and dependable than their peers from father-present homes. However, there were no group differences in maternal warmth towards the children. Mothers raising their child without a father reported more severe disputes with their child than did mothers in father-present families. The children's social and emotional development was not negatively affected by the absence of a father, although boys in father-absent families showed more feminine but no less masculine characteristics of gender role behaviour. No major differences in parenting or child development were identified between families headed by lesbian and single heterosexual mothers. The presence or absence of a father in the home from the outset does appear to have some influence on adolescents' relationships with their mothers. However, being without a resident father from infancy does not seem to have negative consequences for children. In addition, there is no evidence that the sexual orientation of the mother influences parent-child interaction or the socioemotional development of the child.

Children raised in fatherless families from infancy: a follow‐up of children of lesbian and single heterosexual mothers at early adolescence

Background: An increasing number of lesbian women and single heterosexual women are bringing up children with no male involvement. This study follows up to adolescence a sample of children raised in fatherless families from birth or early infancy.Methods: Twenty‐five lesbian mother families and 38 families headed by a single heterosexual mother were compared with 38 two‐parent heterosexual families. The quality of parenting by the mother, and the social and emotional development of the child, were assessed using standardised interview and questionnaire measures administered to mothers, children and teachers.Results: Children in fatherless families experienced more interaction with their mother, and perceived her as more available and dependable than their peers from father‐present homes. However, there were no group differences in maternal warmth towards the children. Mothers raising their child without a father reported more severe disputes with their child than did mothers in father‐present families. The children's social and emotional development was not negatively affected by the absence of a father, although boys in father‐absent families showed more feminine but no less masculine characteristics of gender role behaviour. No major differences in parenting or child development were identified between families headed by lesbian and single heterosexual mothers.Conclusions: The presence or absence of a father in the home from the outset does appear to have some influence on adolescents‘ relationships with their mothers. However, being without a resident father from infancy does not seem to have negative consequences for children. In addition, there is no evidence that the sexual orientation of the mother influences parent–child interaction or the socioemotional development of the child.

All the Lesbian Mothers are Coupled, all the Single Mothers are Straight, and all of us are Tired: Reflections on being a Single Lesbian Mom

Amidst increasing numbers of gays and lesbians having children, political opposition to gay marriage, and government efforts to discourage female-headed households by funding marriage initiatives, the author reflects on her life as a single lesbian mom. Following in the feminist tradition of using personal experiences as a starting point, the article looks at the social space between single heterosexual moms and lesbian mother couples.

Children with lesbian parents: a community study.

Existing research on children with lesbian parents is limited by reliance on volunteer or convenience samples. The present study examined the quality of parent-child relationships and the socioemotional and gender development of a community sample of 7-year-old children with lesbian parents. Families were recruited through the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, a geographic population study of 14,000 mothers and their children. Thirty-nine lesbian-mother families, 74 two-parent heterosexual families, and 60 families headed by single heterosexual mothers were compared on standardized interview and questionnaire measures administered to mothers, co-mothers/fathers, children, and teachers. Findings are in line with those of earlier investigations showing positive mother-child relationships and well-adjusted children.

Contact With Grandparents Among Children Conceived Via Donor Insemination by Lesbian and Heterosexual Mothers

Objective. This study compared the networks of extended family and friendship relationships of children conceived via donor insemination with lesbian versus heterosexual parents. Design. Eighty families participated; 55 of the families were headed by lesbian parents and 25 were headed by heterosexual parents. Parents reported their children's contact with grandparents and other important adults. Results. Most children had regular contact with grandparents, other relatives, and adult nonrelatives outside their immediate households, and there were no differences in this regard as a function of parental sexual orientation. Both children of lesbian and heterosexual parents had more frequent contact with the parents of their biological mother than with the parents of their father or other mother. Conclusions. Contrary to negative stereotypes, children of lesbian mothers were described as having regular contact with grandparents. Regardless of parental sexual orientation, children were described as being in more frequent contact with grandparents to whom they were biologically linked.

Tanzania: AIDS care – learning from experience

Given heterosexual transmission and mother to child transmission, AIDS often strikes more than once within the same family. This is debilitating but can also be a learning experience for carers whose knowledge might then be a resource for the community. This article describes a pilot study into the experience of 21 main care providers in families with chronically ill people suffering mainly from AIDS, each one having cared for and supported more than one patient. During the study 46 out of 51 patients who were cared by these 21 care providers had already died. Respondents provided information on care and support given to the first patient and how much they were prepared and experienced at giving quality care to the next patient. This study provides data from in‐depth interviews conducted between April and June 1999 in a suburb of Mwanza, a city in northwestern Tanzania.

Growing up in a lesbian family: effects on child development. By Fiona L. Tasker and Susan Golombok, Guilford Press, London, 1997. No. of pages: 194. ISBN 1‐57230‐170‐8

Infant and Child DevelopmentVolume 9, Issue 3 p. 167-169 Book ReviewFree Access Growing up in a lesbian family: effects on child development. By Fiona L. Tasker and Susan Golombok, Guilford Press, London, 1997. No. of pages: 194. ISBN 1-57230-170-8 Pippa Stevens, Pippa Stevens Department of Sociology University of Leeds, Leeds, UKSearch for more papers by this author Pippa Stevens, Pippa Stevens Department of Sociology University of Leeds, Leeds, UKSearch for more papers by this author First published: 26 September 2000 https://doi.org/10.1002/1522-7219(200009)9:3<167::AID-ICD204>3.0.CO;2-6AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. References Golombok S, Spencer A, Rutter M. 1983. Children in lesbian and single parent households: psychosexual and psychiatric appraisal. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 24: 551– 572. Golombok S, Tasker F, Murray C. 1997. Children raised in fatherless families from infancy: family relationships and the socioemotional development of children of lesbian and single heterosexual mothers. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 38: 783– 791. Harne L, Rights of Women. 1997. Valued Families: The Lesbian Mother's Legal Handbook. Women's Press: London. Patterson CJ. 1992. Children of lesbian and gay parents. Child Development 63: 1025– 1042. Patterson CJ. 1995. Lesbian mothers, gay fathers, and their children. In Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Identities Over the Lifespan; Psychological Perspectives. AR D'Augelli, CJ Patterson (eds). Oxford University Press: Oxford; 262– 290. Rivera RR. 1991. Sexual orientation and the law. In Homosexuality: Research Implications for Public Policy. JC Gonsiorek, LD Weinrich (eds). Sage: Newbury Park, CA; 81– 100. Weston K. 1991. Families We Choose: Lesbians, Gays, Kinship. Columbia University Press: New York. Volume9, Issue3September 2000Pages 167-169 ReferencesRelatedInformation

Lesbian Mothers: Sameness and Difference

Psychologists and feminists have been researching and debating lesbian parenting for more than 25 years. One of the key concerns addressed by the literature on lesbian mothers is whether they and their children are the same as, or different from, heterosexual mothers and their children. This concern reflects both feminist and mainstream psychologists’ preoccupation with the question of sex differences, and debates about lesbians’ alleged pathology among anti-lesbian and lesbian-affirmative psychologists. The field of lesbian and gay psychology has, largely, moved beyond the repeated demonstration of lesbians’ and gay men’s ‘normality’ (in other words, the degree to which we approximate heterosexual lives and relationships). Despite this, the vast majority of psychological research on lesbian-mother families continues to be concerned with the question ‘are lesbian families the same as heterosexual families?’ (and thus, ‘are lesbians “fit to parent”?’).

Psychosocial Adjustment among Children Conceived via Donor Insemination by Lesbian and Heterosexual Mothers

This study examined the relations among family structure (e.g., number of parents, parental sexual orientation), family process (e.g., parents' relationship satisfaction, interparental conflict), and the psychological adjustment of children who had been conceived via donor insemination. The 80 participating families, all of whom had conceived children using the resources of a single sperm bank, included 55 families headed by lesbian and 25 families headed by heterosexual parents. Fifty families were headed by couples and 30 by single parents. Participating children averaged 7 years of age. Results showed that children were developing in normal fashion, and that their adjustment was unrelated to structural variables such as parental sexual orientation or the number of parents in the household. These results held true for teacher reports as well as for parent reports. Variables associated with family interactions and processes were, however, significantly related to indices of children's adjustment. Parents who were experiencing higher levels of parenting stress, higher levels of interparental conflict, and lower levels of love for each other had children who exhibited more behavior problems.

Psychosocial Adjustment among Children Conceived via Donor Insemination by Lesbian and Heterosexual Mothers

Psychosocial Adjustment among Children Conceived via Donor Insemination by Lesbian and Heterosexual Mothers

Young People's Attitudes Toward Living in a Lesbian Family

Summary The present investigation explored the factors associated with the diversity of children's attitudes toward growing up with their mother in a lesbian-led family after the end of their mother and father's relationship. Twenty-five young adults from lesbian families and a comparison group of 21 young adults raised by single heterosexual mothers first participated in the study in 1976-77, and again in 1991-92. No differences were observed between young people from lesbian and heterosexual post-divorce families in their acceptance of their family identity during adolescence. However, in comparison with those from heterosexual post-divorce families, young people from lesbian backgrounds were more positive about their nonconventional family of origin in early adulthood. The findings show that acceptance of their lesbian family identity during adolescence was associated with close and stable family relationships, the absence of peer stigma, and the sensitivity of their family in relating their identity to others outside the home.

Growing Up in a Lesbian Family: Effects on Child Development

Growing Up in a Lesbian Family: Effects on Child Development. Fiona L. Tasker & Susan Golombok. New York: Guilford. 1997. 187 pp. ISBN 1-57230-170-8. $26.95 cloth. Rare enough are longitudinal studies of family life following the impact of parents' life circumstances and behavior on their offspring from childhood through adult life. Rarer still is research on sexual orientation over time, regardless of the focus of the project. So the empirical project of Fiona L. Tasker and Susan Golombok tracking the lives of children raised in lesbianmother households over a 14-year period presents a unique accomplishment. Interviewing young adults whose mothers they had studied years earlier, Tasker and Golombok provide clues about how parents contribute to the development of sexual identity. This is an issue, of course, of tremendous controversy. It is a practical issue in custody disputes when a divorcing parent is lesbian, gay, or bisexual. It is also of some importance as increasing numbers of same-sex domestic partners are choosing to raise children. The early phase of this research has been one of the foundations of the small, yet robust, literature that has failed to uncover any untoward effects on children of being raised by a lesbian or gay parent. The lack of deleterious effects studied cross-sectionally whets the appetite for the crucial longitudinal data. By carefully locating many of their research participants and involving their now-adult offspring in a follow-up, Tasker and Golombok explore whether being raised by a lesbian mother impacts family relationships, peer relationships, intimate relationships, and personal adjustment. And, yes, they also tell us how many of these children become lesbian or gay adults. This is sketched out against a comparison group of single, heterosexual mothers whose adult children were similarly pursued by the researchers. The final numbers are quite small, however: 18 of the original 27 lesbian mothers and 16 of the original 27 single, heterosexual mothers. There were 25 young adults from the lesbian families and 21 young adults from the heterosexual families in the follow-up interviews. Contrary to predictions of simplistic theories attributing sexual orientation to biology, parental personality disorder, or social learning, Tasker and Golombok find remarkable complexity. Most important in a heterosexist cultural context is that young adults from lesbian-mother households emerge every bit as well adjusted as their counterparts raised in heterosexual, single-mother households. This, despite the greater complications of growing up with a lesbian mother and, for some, her domestic partner. About 10 years old at the first assessment, the children weathered a divorce in most cases and coped with their growing awareness of their mothers' sexual orientation. In addition to the usual development challenges, these children needed to integrate their mothers' romantic partners, as well as their biological fathers, any siblings, and extended family, into their new family structures. They also faced peers, teachers, and other community figures. As they approached adolescence, their sensitivity about their family's distinctiveness increased, and one third wished that their mothers could have been more circumspect about being lesbian. …

FAMILIES AND PARENTING: A COMPARISON OF LESBIAN AND HETEROSEXUAL MOTHERS

Mothers (24 lesbian and 35 heterosexual) were asked to complete a questionnaire of four scales, Index of Family Relations, Index of Parental Attitudes, Family Awareness Scale, and Dyadic Adjustment Scale. Analysis of the mean scores indicated that these lesbian and heterosexual mothers gathered in a snowball sampling had remarkably similar scores on self-reported stress, adjustment, competence, and quality of the relationship with their families, although variability was larger for the lesbian group.

Children Raised in Fatherless Families from Infancy: Family Relationships and the Socioemotional Development of Children of Lesbian and Single Heterosexual Mothers

The aim of the study was to investigate family functioning and the psychological development of children raised in fatherless families from their first year of life. Thirty lesbian mother families and 42 families headed by a single heterosexual mother were compared with 41 two-parent heterosexual families using standardised interview and questionnaire measures of the quality of parenting and the socioemotional development of the child. The results show that children raised in fatherless families from infancy experienced greater warmth and interaction with their mother, and were more securely attached to her, although they perceived themselves to be less cognitively and physically competent than their peers from father-present families. No differences were identified between families headed by lesbian and single heterosexual mothers, except for greater mother-child interaction in lesbian mother families.

Contraceptive practices in HIV seropositive females in Ireland.

A questionnaire was administered to a cohort of 130 HIV seropositive women attending the Department of Genitourinary Medicine, St James's Hospital, Dublin, in order to establish their current contraceptive practices. Forty (42%) of the sexually active women did not use reliable contraception; 55 (57%) used a method reliable in fertility control only, and 21 (22%) used a method reliable in terms of both partner and congenital transmission. The intravenous drug users were less likely to use reliable contraception, 9 (39%), in comparison to the heterosexual group 14 (70%), P < 0.05. The heterosexual group were more likely to use condoms consistently, 7 (35%) in comparison to one (4%) of intravenous drug users, P < 0.02. Nineteen children, 3 borne to heterosexual mothers and 16 borne to intravenous drug-using mothers were HIV seropositive after 18 months.

The children of homosexual and heterosexual single mothers.

Children reared in homes headed by homosexual and heterosexual mothers were compared with respect to the mothers' and children's attitudes towards marriage, procreation and homosexuality. The mothers did not prefer their children to be homosexual; they desired them to marry and procreate. This was expressed more unambiguously for their sons. The children mirrored these expectations, boys with greater frequency than the girls. Most of the children expressed reservations about having a homosexual mother.

Children of Gay and Lesbian Parents

The purpose of this chapter is to review research literature concerning children of gay and lesbian parents. The review includes studies that compared children of lesbian mothers to children of heterosexual mothers on gender identity, gender role, sexual orientation, and varying aspects of psychological health and adjustment. Experiences and perceptions of children of gay fathers are also reviewed. The author's study found that adult-aged daughters of lesbian mothers did not significantly differ from adult daughters of heterosexual mothers on gender identity, gender role, sexual orientation, and social adjustment. Clinical and legal implications were drawn, and suggestions for future research were made.

The Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome in Infants and Children

The classification of the pediatric acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is based on epidemiologic, immunologic, and virologic data. Persons at risk include mothers who use intravenous drugs, infants who have received blood transfusions from subjects with risk factors, patients receiving factor VIII therapy, and infants born to heterosexual mothers with bisexual husbands. A distinct immunologic phenotype, rarely seen in other immunodeficiency disorders, is associated with pediatric AIDS consisting of polyclonal hypergammaglobulinemia and T-cell immunodeficiency. Detection of antibody to the AIDS retrovirus or isolation of virus are essential in establishing a diagnosis. During early infancy, viral isolation is essential as passive transfer of material IgG may occur. Primary immunodeficiency diseases, in particular adenosine deaminase and purine nucleoside phosphorylase deficiency, should be excluded. A diagnosis of pediatric AIDS may be established in a patient who has a risk factor associated with AIDS, polyclonal hypergammaglobulinemia, T-cell immunodeficiency, and antibody to the AIDS retrovirus or isolation of virus.

Lesbian mothers and their children: a comparison with solo parent heterosexual mothers and their children.

Two types of single-parent households and their effects on children ages 3-11 years were compared. One type comprised 50 homosexual mothers and their 56 children, and the other was a group of 40 heterosexual mothers and their 48 children. There were 30 daughters and 26 sons of homosexual mothers and 28 daughters and 20 sons of heterosexual mothers. The sexual identity and social relationships of the children were assessed in relation to the sexual orientation of the mothers. The samples consisted of families from rural and urban areas in 10 American states. All have lived without adult males (18 years or older) in the household for a minimum of 2 years (average 4). Families with heterosexual mothers were matched to families with homosexual mothers on age and race of mother; length of mother and child separation from father; educational level and income of mother; and number, age, and sex of children. Data are reported from childrens' tests designed to provide information on general intelligence, core-morphologic sexual identity, gender-role preferences, family and peer group relationships, and adjustment to the single-parent family. No significant differences were found between the two types of households for boys and few significant differences for girls. Concerns that being raised by a homosexual mother might produce sexual identity conflict and peer group stigmatization were not supported by the research findings. Data also revealed more similarities than differences in parenting experiences, marital history, and present living situations of the two groups of mothers. The postulated compromised parental fitness of lesbian mothers, commonly asserted in child custody cases, is not supported by these data.

The acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in infants and children.

The classification of the pediatric acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is based on epidemiologic, immunologic, and virologic data. Persons at risk include mothers who use intravenous drugs, infants who have received blood transfusions from subjects with risk factors, patients receiving factor VIII therapy, and infants born to heterosexual mothers with bisexual husbands. A distinct immunologic phenotype, rarely seen in other immunodeficiency disorders, is associated with pediatric AIDS consisting of polyclonal hypergammaglobulinemia and T-cell immunodeficiency. Detection of antibody to the AIDS retrovirus or isolation of virus are essential in establishing a diagnosis. During early infancy, viral isolation is essential as passive transfer of material IgG may occur. Primary immunodeficiency diseases, in particular adenosine deaminase and purine nucleoside phosphorylase deficiency, should be excluded. A diagnosis of pediatric AIDS may be established in a patient who has a risk factor associated with AIDS, polyclonal hypergammaglobulinemia, T-cell immunodeficiency, and antibody to the AIDS retrovirus or isolation of virus.