Same-sex parents spend more time with their kids than heterosexual couples, a new study conducted by the Population Research Center at the University of Texas found.
“Our findings support the argument that parental investment in children is at least as great – and possibly greater – in same-sex couples as for different-sex couples,” said Kate Prickett, lead author of the study, in a report posted on Child and Family Blog.
Families headed by two mothers spend on average the most time together, 40 percent more than ones with a mom and dad.
“The extra time comes largely because, in female same-sex unions, both mothers typically offer as much child-focused activity as do mothers in different-sex partnerships,” Prickett said.
Prickett said children of same-sex couples received 3.5 hours a day of focused time – time spent actively engaged with their children in activities, like reading to them, studying with them or taking them to doctor’s appointments, not watching TV in the same room. Different-sex couples spent 2.5 hours daily, in comparison.
The study used data from surveys conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau over 11 years (2003-2013), with a sample of 40,000 parents. This included only 55 parents in same-sex relationships, so the results should be taken with caution, Prickett said.
