Evaluations of Parenting by Same-Sex vs Different-Sex Couples among Heterosexual University Students: Experimental Between-Subjects Vignette Design Study
Despite the decline in prejudice towards LGBT people, the issue of parenthood is still controversial with negative attitudes towards LGBT parents being openly expressed. This study aimed to examine attitudes towards parenting by same-sex couples using a vignette design. Parenting condition (parent’s...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Hrvatsko sociološko društvo
2019-08-01
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| Series: | Revija za Sociologiju |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://hrcak.srce.hr/225766 |
| _version_ | 1818379780497604608 |
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| author | Mateo Štrbić Tomislav Jeleković Dora Popović Marija Brajković Petra Žukina Marina Štambuk |
| author_facet | Mateo Štrbić Tomislav Jeleković Dora Popović Marija Brajković Petra Žukina Marina Štambuk |
| author_sort | Mateo Štrbić |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Despite the decline in prejudice towards LGBT people, the issue of parenthood is still controversial with negative attitudes towards LGBT parents being openly expressed. This study aimed to examine attitudes towards parenting by same-sex couples using a vignette design. Parenting condition (parent’s negative vs positive reaction), active parent’s gender (mother vs father) and family composition (different-sex vs same-sex couple) were varied to test differences in the evaluations of parenting, child behaviour, family environment, social distance and willingness to grant rights. 392 heterosexual and cisgender students from the University of Zagreb (87% female, 13% male), aged 18 to 37, participated in an online study. After reading one of the eight vignettes, participants evaluated parenting, child behaviour, family environment, social distance and rights of the family described in the vignette. The results showed that parenting and family environment were evaluated as better, and participants were less convinced that the child’s behaviour is the result of parents’ relationship in the positive parenting condition than in the negative. Social distance was lower towards parents in the positive parenting condition than in the negative and – unexpectedly – towards same-sex in comparison to different-sex couples. Participants were more inclined to grant family rights to parents from the positive than to those from the negative parenting condition. Although other results suggested unbiased attitudes towards same-sex couples’ parenting, participants were less inclined to grant same-sex couples family rights in comparison to different-sex couples. The findings reflect an important mechanism underlying the stability of prejudice – a resistance towards generalising attitudes from individual cases to a group. This can be used in efforts to confront prejudice against parenting among LGBT people |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T02:08:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9b7b49c4027f4f2ea52eeb5ed351411d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0350-154X 1846-7954 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T02:08:14Z |
| publishDate | 2019-08-01 |
| publisher | Hrvatsko sociološko društvo |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Revija za Sociologiju |
| spelling | doaj.art-9b7b49c4027f4f2ea52eeb5ed351411d2022-12-21T23:20:49ZengHrvatsko sociološko društvoRevija za Sociologiju0350-154X1846-79542019-08-0149225328110.5613/rzs.49.2.6Evaluations of Parenting by Same-Sex vs Different-Sex Couples among Heterosexual University Students: Experimental Between-Subjects Vignette Design StudyMateo ŠtrbićTomislav JelekovićDora PopovićMarija BrajkovićPetra ŽukinaMarina ŠtambukDespite the decline in prejudice towards LGBT people, the issue of parenthood is still controversial with negative attitudes towards LGBT parents being openly expressed. This study aimed to examine attitudes towards parenting by same-sex couples using a vignette design. Parenting condition (parent’s negative vs positive reaction), active parent’s gender (mother vs father) and family composition (different-sex vs same-sex couple) were varied to test differences in the evaluations of parenting, child behaviour, family environment, social distance and willingness to grant rights. 392 heterosexual and cisgender students from the University of Zagreb (87% female, 13% male), aged 18 to 37, participated in an online study. After reading one of the eight vignettes, participants evaluated parenting, child behaviour, family environment, social distance and rights of the family described in the vignette. The results showed that parenting and family environment were evaluated as better, and participants were less convinced that the child’s behaviour is the result of parents’ relationship in the positive parenting condition than in the negative. Social distance was lower towards parents in the positive parenting condition than in the negative and – unexpectedly – towards same-sex in comparison to different-sex couples. Participants were more inclined to grant family rights to parents from the positive than to those from the negative parenting condition. Although other results suggested unbiased attitudes towards same-sex couples’ parenting, participants were less inclined to grant same-sex couples family rights in comparison to different-sex couples. The findings reflect an important mechanism underlying the stability of prejudice – a resistance towards generalising attitudes from individual cases to a group. This can be used in efforts to confront prejudice against parenting among LGBT peoplehttp://hrcak.srce.hr/225766same-sex couples; different-sex couples; parenting; child behaviour; social distance; family rights |
| spellingShingle | Mateo Štrbić Tomislav Jeleković Dora Popović Marija Brajković Petra Žukina Marina Štambuk Evaluations of Parenting by Same-Sex vs Different-Sex Couples among Heterosexual University Students: Experimental Between-Subjects Vignette Design Study Revija za Sociologiju same-sex couples; different-sex couples; parenting; child behaviour; social distance; family rights |
| title | Evaluations of Parenting by Same-Sex vs Different-Sex Couples among Heterosexual University Students: Experimental Between-Subjects Vignette Design Study |
| title_full | Evaluations of Parenting by Same-Sex vs Different-Sex Couples among Heterosexual University Students: Experimental Between-Subjects Vignette Design Study |
| title_fullStr | Evaluations of Parenting by Same-Sex vs Different-Sex Couples among Heterosexual University Students: Experimental Between-Subjects Vignette Design Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evaluations of Parenting by Same-Sex vs Different-Sex Couples among Heterosexual University Students: Experimental Between-Subjects Vignette Design Study |
| title_short | Evaluations of Parenting by Same-Sex vs Different-Sex Couples among Heterosexual University Students: Experimental Between-Subjects Vignette Design Study |
| title_sort | evaluations of parenting by same sex vs different sex couples among heterosexual university students experimental between subjects vignette design study |
| topic | same-sex couples; different-sex couples; parenting; child behaviour; social distance; family rights |
| url | http://hrcak.srce.hr/225766 |
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