Comparison of Family Relationships: Homosexual versus Heterosexual Women

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare nuclear family characteristics of homosexual and heterosexual women. Data of two samples (34 homosexual and 31 heterosexual women) were analyzed for differences and similarities of the nuclear families. Statistically significant differences indicate that lesbians experience less positive nuclear family relationships. However, personal comments by the subjects may be of more interest to the reader than the statistical analysis. Findings are consistent with other research on this problem, pointing to the need for systematic analysis of family variables and how they relate to development of sexual identity.

Navigating Treacherous Waters—One Researcher's 40 Years of Experience with Controversial Scientific Research,

“…The two papers discussed results that appeared to be favorable to lesbian mothers ( Mucklow & Phelan, 1979 ;Miller, et al ., 1981 ) and were cited (by Google Scholar as of December 18, 2015) 72 and 94 times, respectively-over eighteen times (166 to 9) more often than the one paper ( Miller, et al ., 1980 , cited 9 times) reporting results "not favorable" to lesbian mothers ( Schumm, 2010d ), despite the fact that the latter results were later replicated in part by Dundas and Kaufman (2000 ), so they were likely robust. Sometimes this non-citation bias or "refusal to cite" is even more direct: in their literature review, Fedewa, et al .…”

“…The former paper found numerous diff erences in educational outcomes, with substantial eff ect sizes (as large as 3.75) between outcomes for children of same-sex vs. heterosexual parents ( Schumm, 2015c ), while the latter dissertation reported signifi cantly and substantially lower family togetherness in drawings by children of same-sex parents relative to children of heterosexual parents. Furthermore, Patterson (2005 ) cited two studies ( Mucklow & Phelan, 1979 ;Miller, et al, 1981 ) by the same authors using the same data that featured results favorable to lesbian families but omitted in her bibliography one study from the same authors ( Miller, et al, 1980 ) that had featured adverse results for lesbian families. Patterson (2005 ) also did not cite any of the additional research done by Sarantakos (1996bSarantakos ( , 1998Sarantakos ( , 2000 on same-sex families, as described in more detail elsewhere ( Schumm, 2015c ).…”

“…For example, I found two journal articles ( Mucklow & Phelan, 1979 ;Miller, et al ., 1980 ), both published in the same journal by the same group of scholars at about the same time and using the same sample. The study of lower methodological quality ( Mucklow & Phelan, 1979 , cited 72 times according to Google Scholar as of December 18, 2015) has been cited far more often than the other ( Miller, et al ., 1980 , cited 9 times as of December 18, 2015). The only real diff erence in this natural experiment appears to have been that one study presented (currently) politically correct results, while the other did not ( Schumm, 2010d ).…”

“Adult Attachment Style Dimensions in Women Who Have Gay or Bisexual Fathers”: Response to Sirota

“…For example, there were three research articles published between 1979 and 1981 that studied lesbian mothers and their families (Schumm, 2010). One article reported adverse information about lesbian parenting (Miller, Mucklow, Jacobsen, & Bigner, 1980), whereas the other two (Miller, Jacobsen, & Bigner, 1981;Mucklow & Phelan, 1979) reported more positive information. The three articles were by the same group of authors from the same academic institution and even used the same journal twice, as well as being from the same time frame.…”

Evidence of Pro-Homosexual Bias in Social Science: Citation Rates and Research on Lesbian Parenting

“…With such controls, higher citation rates for articles supportive of gay parenting relative to those less supportive might be more indicative of actual rather than merely presumed academic bias in support of gay or lesbian parenting. Miller, Mucklow, Jacobsen, and Bigner (1980) published an article, "Comparison of family relationships: homosexual versus heterosexual women," in Psychological Reports. The study involved a comparison of 34 lesbians and 31 heterosexual women.…”