Study Shows No Difference In Children With/Without Male Role Models
Lez Get Real
By Bridgette P. LaVictoire
June 20, 2012
There is growing evidence that what is important in a child’s life is not having a mother and a father, but rather having two parents. A new study put out by the Williams Institute found that the lack of a male role model did not adversely affect the psychological adjustment of children raised in lesbian households.
The study called ‘Adolescents of the U.S. National Longitudinal Lesbian Family Study: Male role models, gender role traits, and psychological adjustment’ was published in the journal Gender & Society. Co-author Nanette Gartrell explained that “This study is part of a growing body of research that evinces the positive psychological well-being of children reared in planned lesbian families.”
PinkNews explained that:
The findings were based on teens who participated in the US National Longitudinal Lesbian Family Study.
Approximately half of the teens had male role models. The NLLFS teens with and without male role models did not differ from each other in psychological well-being, and also did not differ on stereotypical feminine and masculine traits, like understanding and competitiveness.
The lead author of the study, Henny Bos of the University of Amsterdam, stated that “No differences were found in the well-being of those with and without male role models, or between girls and boys. There was no empirical evidence suggesting that boys require a same-sex parent, or male role model, to develop a healthy psychological well-being.”
The teens and their mothers each completed separate tests to assess their well-being and behavior. The mothers answered questions regarding the adolescents’ behavior, and those teens with male role models were asked to specify who their role models were.
The US National Longitudinal Lesbian Family Study has been running for many years, and has a 93% retention rate; however, the majority of its participants are white and middle class.