Kids Raised by Same-Sex Couples Perform Better in Schools: Study

Several European economists agree that children raised by same-sex couples perform better in school than kids raised by different-sex parents.

According to a new study: “Children from same-sex couples outperform children from different-sex couples on standardized test scores at the end of primary education by 0.18 standard deviations,” the researchers wrote. “Our results suggest that children from same-sex couples are 6.7 percent more likely to graduate than children from different-sex couples.”

Economists Deni Mazrekaj, Kristof de Witte and Sofie Cabus of Belgian university KU Leuven tracked data from 1995 to 2005 as children progressed through primary and secondary school.

1,200 children of same-sex parents in The Netherlands were monitored for a decade as another one million kids of different-sex parents were tracked.

Researchers found that, often, same-sex parents were older, more educated, and wealthier than typical different-sex partners.

“It is difficult for same-sex couples to obtain children so they have to have a high socioeconomic status,” Mazrekaj said. “Research shows that socio-economic status positively influences the school outcome of children.”

Controlled for income and wealth, the study found a much smaller gap in test scores between the children of same and different-sex children. Although kids of same-sex parents still scored slightly higher.

The study joins the likes of other positive findings like one study from Australia that found that children of same-sex couples were generally happier and healthier than their schoolmates.