Same-Sex Parenting

A study by UCLA Law's Williams Project shows that almost 70% of Latino same-sex couples in California aged 25-55 are raising their own children. Only 24% of California same-sex couples of other ethnicities are raising their own children. In fact, the study compares the Latino same-same couples to non-Latino/a different-sex couples, only 60% of whom are raising their own children.

Many attribute this statistic to the fact that "most of the children living with Latino same-sex parents were born when their parents identified as straight." And there is data to support the assertion that Latina teens are more likely to get pregnant as teenagers than other ethnicities: "Nationally, the birth rate for Latina teens is twice that of non-Latino whites. In California, Latina adolescents are four times as likely to become parents as whites."

Whether that statistic is due to socioeconomic factors, education levels, religious beliefs or all three factors combined, it may help to explain the disparity between Latino and non-Latino same-sex parents. Interestingly, only 46 percent of Latino/a same-sex couples in California are female couples, so that means there's a growing segment of Latino children with two daddies.