Parental Time Investments by Same- and Different-Sex Couples

Kate Prickett , University of Waikato
Alexa Martin-Storey, Université de Sherbrooke
Robert Crosnoe, University of Texas at Austin

Despite public debate that has focused on the perceived disadvantages that children raised by same-sex couples face, little evidence exists to support this. This “no difference” paradigm, however, is diluted given these studies are often limited by sample selection and size and by relying on examinations of child outcomes to say something about parenting. This study seeks to address these limitations by using the American Time Use Surveys (n = 53,478; 134 same-sex parents) to directly examine time spent parenting using a nationally-representative sample of U.S. parents. We find that women, regardless of their partners’ gender, spend more time, generally, and in child-focused activities, specifically, with children than men with female partners. Importantly, a clear time advantage emerges for children with two female parents (versus one of each gender) at the family-level. This is partly explained by greater minutes spent with children in same-sex couples where both parents are present.

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 Presented in Session 217. Gender and Sexual Minority Families