STUDY: Kids Are Impacted By Their Parents’ Relationship, Not Their Sexual Orientation

University of Massachusetts Amherst (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Zack Ford | Think Progress | July 16, 2013

A second study in as many weeks has found that adopted children are not impacted by the sexual orientation of their parents. Instead, what matters is how well parents support each other and how satisfied they are with the division of childcare labor.

The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and University of Virginia, compared gay couples, lesbian couples, and heterosexual couples who had all adopted a child within the first few weeks of life after they’d been parenting for three years. It did observe differences in terms of how the couples divided labor: heterosexual couples assumed more traditional divisions of labor, with mothers doing more parenting work than fathers, while same-sex couples were more likely to equally share childcare tasks. This distinction, however, did not have any impact on children’s behavioral problems.

According to researcher Rachel Farr, it’s harmony that matters:

FARR: While actual divisions of childcare tasks such as feeding, dressing and taking time to play with kids were unrelated to children’s adjustment, it was the parents who were most satisfied with their arrangements with each other who had children with fewer behavior problems, such as acting out or showing aggressive behavior. It appears that while children are not affected by how parents divide childcare tasks, it definitely does matter how harmonious the parents’ relationships are with each other.

When there was greater pleasure and engagement between parents, children behaved better for all three family structures.

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New Study: LGBT Supportive Policies Have a Positive Impact on a Company’s Bottom Line and Workplace Environment

For Immediate Distribution May 28, 2013

Contact: Laura Rodriguez, lrodriguez@rabengroup.com, (310) 956-2425 Donald Gatlin, dgatlin@rabengroup.com, (202) 821-7923 M.V. Lee Badgett, badgett@law.ucla.edu, (310) 904-9761

LOS ANGELES—  LGBT-supportive policies are linked to positive business-related outcomes, according to a new study by Williams Institute researchers, M.V. Lee Badgett, research director and professor of economics at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst; Angeliki Kastanis and Laura E. Durso, public policy research fellows, and Christy Mallory, Reid Rasmussen fellow of law and policy.

“We now have a strong body of evidence that LGBT-supportive policies have a variety of benefits for companies that extend beyond the employees those policies impact directly,” said Badgett. “As our nation’s workplaces become more diverse, businesses that respond to that trend will benefit.”

The new Williams Institute study, entitled “The Business Impact of LGBT-Supportive Workplace Policies,” examines the findings of 33 research studies, and concludes that LGBT-supportive policies are also linked to greater job commitment, improved workplace relationships, increased job satisfaction, and improved health outcomes among LGBT employees. LGBT employees are less likely to face discrimination in such environments and are more comfortable being open about their sexual orientation.

Anders Jacobsen, co-founder of LGBT Capital, said, “We see the advent of this research as a key, and potentially catalytic, step in the efforts to present increasingly robust arguments and statistical underpinnings for the business case for LGBT diversity in employment.  We are convinced that this research will carry weight with both corporate and public sector decision makers in the U.S. and abroad.”

“Credit Suisse is proud to partner with the Williams Institute to support this valuable work. Unique in its scope, this study contributes to the important discussion surrounding LGBT supportive policies and the impact on business performance,” said Michelle Gadsden-Williams, Global Head of Diversity & Inclusion at Credit Suisse.

Click here for the full report.