Modern Families by Susan Golombok

by Susan Golombok

Modern Families brings together research on parenting and child development in new family forms including lesbian mother families, gay father families, families headed by single mothers by choice and families created by assisted reproductive technologies such as in vitro fertilisation (IVF), egg donation, sperm donation, embryo donation and surrogacy. This research is examined in the context of the issues and concerns that have been raised regarding these families. The findings not only contest popular myths and assumptions about the social and psychological consequences for children of being raised in new family forms but also challenge well-established theories of child development that are founded upon the supremacy of the traditional family. It is argued that the quality of family relationships and the wider social environment are more influential in children's psychological development than are the number, gender, sexual orientation, or biological relatedness of their parents or the method of their conception.

Genres: Parenting, Adoption, Nonfiction

Paperback Bunko

First published March 31, 2015

Reviews

[Manda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The intended audience for this title is academic so my rating is based on its research and academic merits and not on the level of "excitement" or "enjoyment" which isn't super high unless you read academic books for fun. I wanted to write a review because I think that this topic is super important and current and I hope to see more popular works and discussion in the near future. Susan Golombok thoroughly summarizes and reports on current family research studies to show that the quality of relationships and emotional security within familial relationships is more important than things like genetic bonds and the sexual orientation of parents. It doesn't matter if you have two dads, two moms, or are a donor-conceived child of a single mom by choice! Family composition alone is not a good indicator of positive childhood development. Rather, the research clearly proves that the quality and stability of those relationships, whatever form they may take, is a much better indicator of positive childhood outcomes. I was particularly interested to read about the studies pertaining to disclosure in families with donor-conceived children. The research harks back to research on adoptive families and findings that disclosure in early childhood is generally healthier than disclosure in adolescence or adulthood, times at which people can find it difficult to incorporate such information into their sense of self. Interestingly, the majority of parents still don't disclose this info (though the statistics are improving and trending towards more disclosure), and of those who intend to disclose, only about half actually do. I'm sure disclosing is one of those things that's more difficult for parents to actually do than theorize about and intentions and reality can easily conflict as time goes on and your child gets older. However, the lesson is still: transparency is good, secrets are bad!

In the interest of transparency :) I must disclose that I didn't read this entire book, only the few chapters that most interested me and pertained to my personal experience. My only criticism is that I could have done with a little more narrative analysis as I found that this sometimes got lost in the citation of endless studies. But this is not pop psychology and the sheer volume of studies cited lends further credibility to this super informative and validating book. Highly recommended.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clear and well written, the research presented in this book should make it obvious to most readers that the children from 'new family forms' are just as psychologically well adjusted as those from more traditional set ups. I especially enjoyed the direct quotes from parents and children which helped bring to life the families behind the numbers - it would have been nice to see more of these.

This may be a testing read for people who aren't familiar with research terminology etc. That said, as academic books go it's fairly accessible and you don't need specialist knowledge in any particular field to follow it.