STUDIES STUDIES STUDIES: R.K. Becker

So, another study demonstrates again that there is "no significant difference" in the psychological well-being of children raised by same-sex and opposite-sex couples. None. None whatsoever. It's all working out just fine.

What's wrong with this picture?

Well, what's suspicious, at least, is this: If the children raised by same-sex couples are doing just fine, what does that say about the effect of the social stigmatization that these children endure due to their being so raised? Does that, too, show no significant effect? Does any harassment these children endure because of their gay parents have no psychological effect on them whatsoever? Would this not also show up in these studies? Or does this mean that there is no such stigmatization?

One of the arguments given for same-sex marriage is that it would reduce the stigmatization and harassment children of gay parents have to endure. So I doubt very much that SSM advocates would hold either that the stigmatization does not exist or that it does not affect the children, as this would undercut this argument. And even though I am an opponent of SSM I certainly believe children of gays do suffer from social stigmatization (though I also doubt that SSM will change this very much).

So, why is the effect of such stigmatization not enough to register in these studies as a significant difference between the psychological well-being of children of same-sex and opposite-sex couples?

Another possible reason that may be given is that the studies are able to segregate--totally segregate--the effects of the social stigmatization and harassment from the effects of being raised by gay parents in itself. Which would require believing that sociologists and psychiatrists already know everything about what cause results in what effect. But wasn't that what the studies were designed to discover?

So, as I see it, we have four possible reasons for why the effects of stigmatization do not result in a show of a significant difference in these studies:

1. There is no social stigmatization of children raised by gay couples.

2. There is stigmatization, but it causes no measurable psychological harm to the children.

3. The authors of the studies were able to totally segregate the effects of stigmatization from the effects of gay parenting per se.

4. The studies are unreliable.

posted by Eve at 4:44 PM | link

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