This academic journal written by Timothy J. Biblarz and Judith Stacey is to attack the well-known idea of children needing both a mother and father role in their household. Biblarz is an associate professor of sociology and gender studies at the University of Southern California, while Stacey is also a professor of sociology at New York University, formerly working alongside Biblarz. Both are very passionate about gender, family, and sexuality studies, mainly emphasizing the effects of same-sex parenting. Stacey wrote the novel, Unhitched, which diminishes the popular belief about different gender parenting from her experiences. Biblarz and Stacey conduct a very detailed research study on both same-sex households, as well as heterosexual households to see what the similarities and differences are. Throughout this journal, the two conclude that children do not need a mother and father figure to function properly, as they are just as well off, if not better, with lesbian or gay parents. Biblarz and Stacey came into this already thinking that the gender of parents does not matter, but they stay open minded, often contributing sources that contradict their belief. Offering both viewpoints on the issue, they discuss why boys and girls do need a fatherly figure growing up. They state, “fathers foster …show more content…
The two counter-act against that belief that yes, children do get bullied more throughout their childhood, “but this speaks to social disapproval of their parents’ sexual identity rather than their gender” (Biblarz and Stacey 13). Another popular belief by people is the argument that children need a father figure in their life, to prevent delinquency as previously stated. However, “Most studies found that children from single-mother families averaged lower rates of delinquency than children with single fathers” (Biblarz and Stacey
In this article, the editors discussed the social trends and how they can change in nature of father involvement. They tested how children today will make their expectations taking upon a role of mother and father. Increase in father absence is associated with poor school achievement, reduced involvement in labor force, early childbearing, and high risk-taking behaviors. In addition, boys without fathers will experience problems with their sexual orientation and gender identity, school performance, psychosocial adjustment, and self-control. The editors differentiated the girls by how affected they were without fathers.
Tasker, Fiona. "Same-Sex Parenting and Child Development: Reviewing the Contribution of Parental Gender." Journal of Marriage and Family 72.1 (2010): 35–40.
In recent years, gay and lesbian parenting has been a discussion of huge debate across the nation. It’s a subject with such heated conversation like that of, politics. This has also been in the interest of many studies, about how it effects a child raised by that of a two males or two females. Among other debates that involve gay and lesbian couples such as, gay marriage or gay rights. These rights have often been taken for granted by many of Americans, but while gay and lesbians are denied most of these rights. The three biggest factors that are talk about in the parenting of children by gay and lesbian parents is that of; A child needs both a mother and a father to be properly raised, a family is a male, female, and children and last and one of the most talked about is the negative effects it has on the child as they grow up and face the world with two openly homosexual parents; a “mom” and “dad. While I believe that every gay and lesbian person should be able to raise a family, just as any other person; I do have a fear for the child’s well-being, simply because of the society we live in today and the crude criticism they may face.
The emergence of gays and lesbians from the shadows of perceived deviancy has led to the formation of civil unions and in an increasingly number of states, marriage. As society has become more open and accepting of homosexuals, an increased number of gay men and women have “come out” of the proverbial closet. These closeted individuals may have previously been married in heterosexual unions and produced offspring prior to freeing themselves of fear and societal constraints. This gives rise to a new interpretation of the blended family. The gay and lesbian blended family. Many gays and lesbians have opted to cohabitate as a family unit merging the heterosexual and homosexual familial entity. Despite the controversies, gays and lesbians with children are becoming more and more a part of the American family landscape. Increasingly, there are blended families with two moms or two dads. During the past decade, the number of same-sex households “grew significantly” in 10 states for which figures have been released: more than 700 percent in Delaware and Nevada; more than 400 percent in Vermont, Indiana, Louisiana and Nebraska; and more than 200 percent in Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts and
Scoot M. Myers conducted a research beginning in 1980 about the procedures of religiosity inheritance in families. He interviewed 471 parents in 1980 and their adult offspring in 1992 addressed the effects of childhood, parental, and family influences on the religiosity of adult offspring, factors that conditioned the ability of parents to transmit their religiosity, and how recent experiences of adult offspring modify earlier family influences on religiosity. According to the results, there were three variables that influence the impact of religion on adult offspring. Within these three variables were parental religiosity, quality of the family relationship, and traditional family structure. Many studies found the research on the effect of parents’ religiosity on the religiosity of their offspring to have inconsistent results. Researchers have found that parental influence is a high impact for church attendance in adolescence but as their child ages, the impact decreases. Studies have also found that parental influence on religion heavily depends on the religion in which the parent practices. The accumulation of religious capital during childhood is heavily depended upon for transmission of parent’s religion to their offspring as well. Lastly, the events, experiences, and traditions within the family is a major factor that contributes to the influence of religion on adult offspring.
Findings from The Census Bureau suggested that females are designated as the default parent; the parent who mainly manages a child’s needs alone. In 2010, it was recorded that only 32% of fathers were primary caretakers of their children (Rampbell, 2010). However, in the common situation where the woman is the primary caretaker it is not considered an arrangement, but the norm. The article suggests that when a man fulfills a responsibility that in society’s perspective is part of a woman’s role, he receives appraisal whereas a woman does not (Schulten, 2012). Gender roles in parenting begins with the standards set at birth throughout modeling older generations of what is expected of an individual and what skills are expected in parenthood. The skills for adulthood based on each gender is very prevalent during child rearing regarding gendered-colors such as pink or blue, clothing being appropriated for genders separately, and most importantly the toys that support natalism (Allen,
…And girls need their daddies! Fathers seem to be in tune to the fact that boys require special attention, discipline and leadership, but they are often unaware of how desperately their daughters need them (Dobson 93). Girls crave the love, attention and approval of their fathers. Whether or not they receive it, greatly impacts them their whole lives. Some would argue that this craving for affirmation among girls is the primary responsibility of the mother, while many fathers view the task of raising girls as a woman’s job (Dobson 93). However, it is highly evident that a daughter’s self-esteem, behavior, and relationships are directly impacted by the positive or negative relationship she has with her father.
Since the 1970s, studies on the effect of same-sex parenting on children have been conducted in the United States. Sociological debates have occurred from the idea of allowing same-sex couples to parent. Some groups feel that allowing this would undermine the traditional ideology of marriage and skew the perception of gender roles for their children. Sociologists continue to produce empirical research that studies samples of the approximately 125,000 same-sex couples raising nearly 220,000 children and comparing their roles as parents and the adult personalities of their children to children raised by heterosexual couples. Current scientific research comparing the outcomes of children raised by gay or lesbian parents with children of heterosexual parents consistently shows that same-sex parents are just as capable of raising “psychologically healthy and well-adjusted” children as heterosexual parents. Research comparing children raised by same-sex couples and heterosexual couples found no differences in the adjustment or mental health of these children as adults.
The Family structure has changed significantly in the last fifty years. With higher percentages of marriage ending in divorce, and higher rates of childbearing out of wedlock, single parent families are increasing rapidly. “Seventy percent of all the children will spend all or part of their lives in a single-parent household.” (Dowd) Studies have shown that the children of these families are affected dramatically, both negatively and positively. Women head the majority of single- parent families and as a result, children experience many social problems from growing up without a father. Some of these problems include lack of financial support, and various emotional problems by not having a father around, which may contribute to problems later in life. At the same time, children of single-parent homes become more independent because they learn to take care of themselves, and rely on others to do things for them.
Although it is presumed that children need both a mother and a father, there is little evidence to support this idea. Sociologists from USC and NYU argued this theory. In a new Journal of Marriage and Family study, the team argues that (fatherless) children are not necessarily more disadvantaged than children with fathers. They argue that men do not provide a different set of parenting skills than women. "Timothy Biblarz and Judith Stacey analyzed relevant studies about parenting, including available research on single-mother and single-father households, gay male parents and lesbian parents. In their analysis, the researchers found no evidence of gender-based parenting abilities, with the "partial exception of lactation," there is little a...
This article showed some of the common opinions regarding gender-neutral parenting. Many parents have started to see some of the issues with “traditional” parenting styles that limit the possibilities of their children exploring different gender norms. With a shift on the views of gender and sexuality in our nation, many parents have begun to recognize the need for their children to figure out their gender through experiences and preferences. This idea is allowing children to be more fluid when it comes to gender, being able to experience their world in ways many people have been limited in generations prior. This will also allow parents to break down gender stereotypes from an early age, which could eliminate a lot of gender-based prejudice.
Research has already shown parent sexual orientation has no significant effect on children’s psychological adjustment in Wainright, Russell, and Patterson (2004) as well as Rivers, Poteat, and Noret (2008). There has been a stereotype that a man and a women should raise a child and if not the child would be “confused” about gender behavior, identity and sexual orientation. Wainright, Russell, and Patterson (2004) study has shown that parental sexual orientation has no effect of adolescent romantic attractions and behaviors. The results of their study show that children of same sex parents have a significant relationship quality. There was no significant difference in children’s’ general role behavior, children’s sexual orientation, gender identity, children’s’ cognitive development and psychological adjustment. Having same sex parents has no impact on a child’s gender role behavior, sexual orientation, gender identity, cognitive development and psychological adjustment. Having a same-sex parent has no impact on a child but rather the relationship that the child has with the parent no matter the parent’s sexual orientation. The relationship between the parent and the child s what can
For many years, children growing up in a single parent family have been viewed as different. Being raised by only one parent seems impossible to many yet over the decades it has become more prevalent. In today’s society many children have grown up to become emotionally stable and successful whether they had one or two parents to show them the rocky path that life bestows upon all human beings. The problem lies in the difference of children raised by single parents versus children raised by both a mother and a father. Does a child need both parents? Does a young boy need a father figure around? Does the government provide help for single parents? What role do step-parents and step-siblings play? With much speculation, this topic has become a very intriguing argument. What people must understand is that properly raising a child does not rely on the structure of a family but should be more focused on the process
Thesis statement: The different aspects of gender roles varies when it comes to raising a child; there are the physical and emotional attributes, society’s expectations, the governmental aid given to males versus females, single parenting, co-parenting, how parenting differs with the gender of the child, and the outcome of the child based on how they were raised.
Parenting is by standard an essential aspect of raising children in the way they should grow. Within parenting, mothers and fathers are by nature responsible for the roles they display in their child’s life. Due to the way that politics is set in today’s society, it seems to be quite unruly that women have the favorable call as to having custody over children than men, as if the role of a fatherless significant. Consequently, this has turned around to be a downfall for many children growing up with the absence of a father in their life. State departments dealing with children and family services should require fathers to be actively participants in their children 's lives by applying training programs, charging absent parents and requiring