All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
Lesbians are twice as likely as gay men to have children
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
A new study from the National Center for Marriage and Family Research has taken a closer look at same-sex families.
Experts have identified a trend towards an increase in the number of homosexual families that have children. In response to this trend, they decided to take a closer look at the demographic characteristics of such families, analyze their dependence on the social status of same-sex parents, their level of education, and ethnicity.
Sarah Burgoyne, a researcher at Bowling Green University, prepared a report in which she presented an analysis of data on the demographic situation among same-sex families in the United States.
The expert found that on average, one in six homosexual couples have children.
In addition, the study found that homosexual men living in one family have children twice as rarely as homosexual women. Children are born in ten percent of all-male families, while in female same-sex families this percentage is 22.
Most homosexual families, regardless of the gender of the spouses, have one child.
Sarah Burgoyne also notes that the presence of children in same-sex families generally depends on the level of education of homosexual parents. "I found a clear relationship between the presence of children in the family and the level of education of the parents," the researcher said.
34 percent of male families whose heads do not have higher education have children. While among homosexuals with at least a bachelor's degree, only six percent of families have children.
Examining the relationship between the presence of children in homosexual families and the racial and ethnic background of the parents, Burgoyne concluded that among the white population of the United States of America, there are fewer homosexuals with children than among other races and ethnic groups. It turned out that African Americans are the most likely to have children.
"As the number of children living and being raised in homosexual families continues to increase, the demographic characteristics of such families become increasingly important to us," says Sarah Burgoyne.
[