Same-Sex Marriage: The Influence of Gender and Attitudes Toward Same-Sex Parenting

Background: Despite the gradual amelioration of negative attitudes toward sexual minorities, acceptance does not seem to extend to attitudes toward same-sex marriage (SSM). Findings indicate that many believe that same-sex couples are incapable of raising children effectively; thus, SSM may be associated with the idea that it would lead to increased rights for same-sex couples to raise/adopt children. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of attitudes toward same-sex parenting (SSP) on attitudes toward SSM. Based on the substantive knowledge, we hypothesized that: 1) people with lower levels of religiosity, higher levels of education, more contact with gay, lesbian, or bisexual (GLB) individuals, and who are younger and female will exhibit more positive attitudes toward SSM; and 2) attitudes toward SSP will uniquely contribute to explaining attitudes toward SSM, controlling for demographic variables.

Methods: A random selection of nine community organizations in South Australia, students and faculty from a local University, and members of Facebook were invited to participate. A sample of Australian residents (N = 840) ranging in age from 18-78 completed an online questionnaire assessing attitudes toward gay men and lesbians (GL; the Modern Homophobia Scale [MHS]), SSM, SSP, and basic demographic information, including religiosity and contact with GLB. This study employed a correlational design and the primary predictor variable was attitudes towards SSP. Hierarchical multiple regression was utilized to test our hypotheses.

Results: Attitudes toward SSM were mostly positive with just over 86% of the sample supporting legalization. Demographic items and MHS scores were entered in Step 1 and collectively explained 61% of the variance in attitudes toward SSM. The addition of SSP to the model significantly improved the prediction of SSM by 17%. In the final model, only MHS scores, number of GLB friends, religiosity, education, and attitudes toward SSP remained statistically significant. Attitudes toward SSP had the highest beta value (β =.66). An initial t-test indicated that men were less supportive of SSM legalization; however, in the regression, sex was not significant. To further test for any gender differences, two regressions were run based on participants’ sex. It was found that the effect of education on attitudes toward SSM was only significant for men (MHS, religiosity, SSP were significant for both). The amount of explained variance was similar to the full results, and SSP still had the highest beta weight for both.

Implications: Participants with negative attitudes toward SSP were significantly more likely to hold negative attitudes toward SSM, and attitudes toward SSP were the best predictor of attitudes toward SSM after controlling for demographic variables and attitudes toward gay men and lesbians. These variables accounted for 78% of the variance. Although a positive shift in attitudes towards civil rights is evident, research demonstrates that negative attitudes still exist, which is reflected in the current marriage policy in Australia and other countries. Future research in this area should seek to explicitly explore attitudes toward SSP, including knowledge about SSP, to establish a better understanding of these attitudes and their influence on SSM.