Adult Responses to Child Behavior and Attitudes Toward Fathering: Gay and Nongay Fathers

This study examines gay and nongay fathers' responses to instruments measuring parenting style and orientation to the fathering role. Fifty-three respondents (24 gay and 29 nongay fathers) completed two surveys, and responses to each were analyzed. Both groups of fathers were found to have a developmental orientation toward their role as fathers, and no discernable parenting style could be found to distinguish one group from the other. Thus, gay and nongay fathers were found to be more similar than different with regard to parenting styles and attitudes toward fathering. This finding supports previous work (Bigner & Jacobsen, 1989a, 1989b) and expands the available knowledge based on the parenting styles of homosexual parents.