Abstract
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 chldren 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.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
King MB, Pattison P: Homosexuality and Parenthood.British Medical Journal, 303: 295–296, 1991.
Golombok S, Spencer, Rutter M: Children in Lesbian and Single Parent Households; Psychosexual and Psychiatric Appraisal.Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 24, 4: 551–557, 1983.
Kirkpatrick M, Smith C, Roy R: Lesbian Mothers and Their Children, A Comparative Survey.American Journal of Orthospsychiatry 51: 545–551, 1981.
Javaid GA: Sexual Development of the Adolescent Daughter of a Homosexual Mother.Journal of American Academy of Child Psychiatry 22, 2: 196–201, 1983.
Kinsey AC:Sexual Behaviour in the Human Female, W B Saunders & Company, Philadelphia and London, p. 114, 1953.
Green R, Mandel JB, Hotvedt ME, Laurel S, Gray J: The Lesbian Parent: Comparison of Heterosexual and Homosexual Mothers & their Children.Archives of Sexual Behaviour, 15,2: 167–184, 1986.
Hoeffer B: Children's Acquisition of Sex Role Behaviour in Lesbian Mother Families.American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 51: 536–544, 1981.
Biller HB:Father, Child and Sex Role. DC Heath, Lexington, Massachusetts, pp. 40,41,93,98,100, 1960.
Lewis K G: Children of Lesbians: Their Viewpoint.Social Work Journal of National Association of Social Workers 25, 3: 198–203, 1980.
Stoller RJ:Sex and Gender. New York: Jason Aronson, 1968.
Money J & Ehrhardt AA:Man and Woman, Boy and Girl. Baltimore and London: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1972.
Roiphe H & Galenson E: Infantile Origins of Sexual Identity.International Universities Press 272–273, 1981.
Fraiberg S: Adolescents: Homosexual Conflicts. InPsychoanalytic Approaches to Problems and Therapy. ed. Lorand S & Schneer. Delta Books, 78–112, 1961.
Hetherington EM: Effects of Father Absence on Personality Development in Adolescent Daughters.Developmental Psychology 7,3: 313–326, 1972.
Hetherington EM: Coping with Family Transitions: Winners, Losers, Survivors.Child Development 60,1: 1–15, 1989.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Javaid, G.A. The children of homosexual and heterosexual single mothers. Child Psych Hum Dev 23, 235–248 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00707677
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00707677