Children of same-sex couples do better in school than children from traditional families, a study has found. The reasons may surprise you
Researchers tracked nearly 3,000 children from rainbow families
This is no small research. Teams from Oxford University in the UK and Maastricht University in the Netherlands tracked nearly 3,000 children raised by same-sex parents and compared their results with more than a million children raised by different-sex couples. The children included in the study were those raised by a same-sex couple right from birth. The researchers focused on the Netherlands, which was the first country in the world to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry in 2001, making it possible to track the long-term school performance of more children not only during primary school but also during secondary school.
A study published in October in the American Sociological Review showed that children from rainbow families perform better in both primary and secondary school. Specifically, it looks at performance on a uniform comparative test written by elementary school students at age 12 and then at the number who finish high school with a high school diploma. So the findings do not directly say that children of same-sex parents are born smarter. In fact, other important factors besides intelligence contribute to successful school completion.
Children from wealthier families simply learn better
The main factor that affects school success is the amount of family income, says research leader Deni Mazrekaj, a sociologist at Oxford University. "We found that same-sex parents tend to be wealthier, older and better educated than the typical opposite-sex parent couple," says Deni Mazrekaj. That's because same-sex couples have to go through costly procedures on the road to parenthood, such as procedures at a reproductive clinic, surrogacy or the adoption process - and not everyone can afford that, and certainly not at a young age.
However, even when the researchers compared rainbow and straight families of the same socioeconomic status, the better school performance of children of same-sex parents persisted, albeit to a lesser extent. So it means that other factors besides family wealth influence academic achievement.
Rainbow children have a family environment that is conducive to learning
So what else might boost the grades of children who have two mothers or two fathers at home? "For example, all of these children were born from wanted pregnancies, and given all the things their parents had to go through to get them, it is clear that they were indeed highly motivated to parent," interprets the results of Mazrekaj, a sociologist whose research focuses on the influence of school and family environment on an individual's later success in life.
However, he points out that the research team only had data on the socio-economic status of families, and everything else is conjecture to be verified by further studies. Moreover, the results may only be valid for the Netherlands and the situation may be different in other countries.
In the Czech Republic, the difficult path to a child and the unequal status of the family
Gay and lesbian couples in the Czech Republic also go through difficult processes on their way to parenthood. Does this mean that the results of the study from the Netherlands could be applied to the Czech Republic? According to sociologist Petra Kutálková, author of the Czech study Rainbow Families in the Shadow of the State, it is not so important what school achievements the children of same-sex couples have. "Some gays and lesbians, however, are interested in whether they might harm their children by their planned family arrangement or even their sexual orientation. And here is where it is important that we know that they do not. We can say with certainty, based on previous research and the opinions of professional societies, that sexual orientation does not have a negative impact on a child's upbringing and thriving," says Petra Kutálková.
However, the problem is that the unequal status of rainbow children in the Czech Republic is a result of the set-up of laws and policies - that is, it is caused by the state itself. "There are a number of barriers, inequalities and uncertainties that same-sex couples are exposed to on their way to parenthood, which can have a negative impact on a family and its children, for example, in the event of the death of one of the parents or in cases where the family breaks up," says Petra Kutálková. That is why she is now cooperating with the Prague Pride association to prepare a brochure for women who have decided to become parents together. The publication She and She Are Planning a Family or How to Meet Happiness is intended to help mothers prevent uncertainty and make decisions based on verified information.
What do rainbow families look like in the Netherlands?
A Dutch study of families with same-sex parents has given a glimpse into other conditions in which rainbow children live there. In addition to the higher age and earnings of the parents, it turns out that they have fewer siblings and are rarely born to both parents who are not from the Netherlands. These are all factors that favour better educational outcomes. However, the children of same-sex couples are about a quarter less likely to be born into a marriage than the children of hetero couples.
Most of the rainbow families included in the research consisted of two mothers. Of the 2,971 families, only 185 were made up of two men. The researchers explained the reasons for this inequality: even in the Netherlands, surrogacy, which is used by gay couples, is not widely available. Only two clinics in the whole country started providing this service last year. The legal situation for surrogacy in the Netherlands is not yet resolved in favour of the fathers, with the biological mother being the officially stated mother of the child. In cases of family breakdown in the Netherlands, there is a tendency to entrust children to the care of the mother, resulting in the creation of rainbow families made up of two mothers.
Parental competence is not related to sexual orientation
Over the last 20 years, researchers in various countries have repeatedly looked at the well-being of children from rainbow families. The results of the studies have shown that there is no difference related to the sexual orientation of the parents. The authors of the Dutch study eventually came to this conclusion. "Children raised by same-sex parents perform at least as well (if not better) in school as children of different-sex parents," reads the official conclusion of the study.
Sociologist Petra Kutálková believes that there is no need for further research comparisons and thus for separating rainbow families from the spectrum of current family forms. She sees the problem more in the fact that prejudices and even hatred persist among the Czech public. "Therefore, I would rather devote my energy to making the diversity of family forms visible in the media, textbooks, films, and even in hospital waiting rooms. If diversity becomes a normal part of our lives, fewer people will feel the need to compare one family form with another," says the sociologist.
