G

GAY- AND LESBIAN-HEADED

FAMILIES

Openly gay and lesbian people are choosing to have
children in increasing numbers, although the largest
group of lesbian- and gay-headed families is still com-
prised of those parenting children from prior hetero-
sexual relationships. Methods for creating
‘‘intentional’’ families include adoption, foster par-
enting, alternative insemination, and surrogacy. Laws
regarding adoption and foster parenting vary by state
as well as by country (in the case of international
adoption). The exact number of lesbian- and gay-
headed families is difficult to ascertain. Secrecy is still
a fairly common practice because of the risk of losing
children and employment as a result of sexual orien-
tation. One study reported that in 1999, 3.9 million
children age nineteen and under had gay or lesbian
parents. Gay- and lesbian-headed families experience
a variety of forms of discrimination, including under-
representation in governmental policy, legal protec-
tion, educational environments, communities of faith,
access to medical treatment and reproductive tech-
nology, insurance coverage, and the media. Several
research studies have shown that children raised in
lesbian- and gay-headed households score on par
with other children in measures of socio-emotional
well-being. Some studies have found that children of
lesbian and gay parents display a higher degree of
empathy and awareness and respect for diversity than
children of heterosexual parents.

See also: PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIPS;

PARENTING

Bibliography

Buxton, Amity. The Other Side of the Closet: The Coming-Out Crisis for

Straight Spouses. Santa Monica, CA: IBS Press, 1991.

Kaeser, Gigi. Love Makes a Family: Portraits of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,

and Transgender Parents and Their Families, edited by Peggy

Gillespie. Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts Press,

1999.

Aimee Gelnaw

GENDER-ROLE DEVELOPMENT

Gender-role development is one of the most impor-

tant areas of human development. In fact, the sex of

a newborn sets the agenda for a whole array of devel-

opmental experiences that will influence the person

throughout his or her life.

The often controversial study of the development

of gender is a topic that is inherently interesting to

parents, students, researchers, and scholars for sever-

al reasons. First and foremost, one’s sex is one of the

most salient characteristics that is presented to other

people. Second, who one is as a male or a female be-

comes a significant part of one’s overall identity; it is

one of the first descriptors people use about them-

selves. Labeling oneself as a ‘‘boy’’ or ‘‘girl’’ can begin

as early as age eighteen months. Third, gender is an

important mediator of human experiences and the

way in which individuals interact with each other and

the physical environment. Individuals’ choices of

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