Evaluations of Parenting by Same-Sex vs Different-Sex Couples among Heterosexual University Students: Experimental Between-Subjects Vignette Design Study

Authors

  • Mateo Štrbić student (Division of Psychology, University Department of Croatian studies, University of Zagreb, Croatia) https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7494-9521
  • Tomislav Jeleković student (Division of Psychology, University Department of Croatian studies, University of Zagreb, Croatia) https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9190-4352
  • Dora Popović student (Division of Psychology, University Department of Croatian studies, University of Zagreb, Croatia) https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3716-8435
  • Marija Brajković student (Division of Psychology, University Department of Croatian studies, University of Zagreb, Croatia) https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2247-0607
  • Petra Žukina student (Division of Psychology, University Department of Croatian studies, University of Zagreb, Croatia) https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0743-6985
  • Marina Štambuk Department of Management and Rural Entrepreneurship, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, Croatia https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6637-3676

Keywords:

same-sex couples, different-sex couples, parenting, child behaviour, social distance, family rights

Abstract

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

 

 

 

Author Biographies

Mateo Štrbić, student (Division of Psychology, University Department of Croatian studies, University of Zagreb, Croatia)

 

 

 

 

Tomislav Jeleković, student (Division of Psychology, University Department of Croatian studies, University of Zagreb, Croatia)

 

 

 

 

Dora Popović, student (Division of Psychology, University Department of Croatian studies, University of Zagreb, Croatia)

 

 

 

 

Marija Brajković, student (Division of Psychology, University Department of Croatian studies, University of Zagreb, Croatia)

 

 

 

 

Petra Žukina, student (Division of Psychology, University Department of Croatian studies, University of Zagreb, Croatia)

 

 

 

 

Marina Štambuk, Department of Management and Rural Entrepreneurship, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, Croatia

 

 

 

 

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Published

2019-08-31

How to Cite

Štrbić, M., Jeleković, T., Popović, D., Brajković, M., Žukina, P. and Štambuk, M. (2019) “Evaluations of Parenting by Same-Sex vs Different-Sex Couples among Heterosexual University Students: Experimental Between-Subjects Vignette Design Study”, Croatian Sociological Review, 49(2), pp. 253–281. Available at: https://hrcak.srce.hr/ojs/index.php/rzs/article/view/9572 (Accessed: 12December2024).

Issue

Vol. 49 No. 2 (2019): Parenthood of LGBTIQ People in Croatia

Section

Scientific articles (original research & review articles)

License

Copyright (c) 2019 Mateo Štrbić, Tomislav Jeleković, Dora Popović, Marija Brajković, Petra Žukina, Marina Štambuk

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