Top

Published in:

30-06-2022

“This is not What God Intended”: Attitudes Toward Adoption by Same-sex Couples in Ecuador

Authors: Carlos Hermosa-Bosano, Paula Hidalgo-Andrade, Anna Belén Marcillo, Adriana Olaya-Torres, Pedro Alexandre Costa, Fernando Salinas-Quiroz

Published in: Sexuality Research and Social Policy | Issue 4/2022

Activate our intelligent search to find suitable subject content or patents.

search-config

AI-assisted search

Off

Abstract

Introduction

In Ecuador, adoption is limited to heterosexual couples and information on attitudes toward same-sex couples who intend to become parents following this pathway is scarce. This study aimed to identify the beliefs of a sample of 319 cisgender people in Ecuador regarding the adoption of children by same-sex couples and explore the reasons why they consider it is appropriate or not for lesbian and gay (LG) couples to adopt children.

Methods

Between May and October 2019, participants responded quantitative and qualitative questions after reading a vignette about a couple interested in adopting a child. Participants were randomly presented with one out of three versions of the vignette based on the couples’ sexual orientation (L,G, heterosexual). Descriptive, correlational statistics and analysis of variance were used to conduct quantitative analyses. Qualitative responses were analyzed using thematic and content analysis.

Results

Results indicate favorability toward adoption by all couples in general. However, people showed the highest concerns about adoption by LG couples. Qualitative answers indicate the existence of nine types of arguments used by participants to explain their position in favor or against adoption by same-sex couples.

Conclusion

Some are problematic since they are rooted in prejudiced ideas about heterosexual people’s superiority regarding their capacities to create emotionally nurturing environments.

Policy Implications

Providing information regarding LG parenting might be a way of achieving legislative changes that might, in turn, promote social change by providing a legal platform for same-sex couples to achieve parenthood.

previous article Sexual Minority Stigma and Nonsuicidal Self-Injury Among Sexual Minorities: the Mediating Roles of Sexual Orientation Concealment, Self-Criticism, and Depression

next article Healthcare Mistreatment, State-Level Policy Protections, and Healthcare Avoidance Among Gender Minority People

Dont have a licence yet? Then find out more about our products and how to get one now:

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

über 102.000 Bücher
über 537 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

Automobil + Motoren
Bauwesen + Immobilien
Business IT + Informatik
Elektrotechnik + Elektronik
Energie + Nachhaltigkeit
Finance + Banking
Management + Führung
Marketing + Vertrieb
Maschinenbau + Werkstoffe
Versicherung + Risiko

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

inform now

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Wirtschaft" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

über 67.000 Bücher
über 340 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

Bauwesen + Immobilien
Business IT + Informatik
Finance + Banking
Management + Führung
Marketing + Vertrieb
Versicherung + Risiko

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

inform now

Available only for authorised users

Ayoub, P. M., & Garretson, J. (2017). Getting the message out: Media context and global changes in attitudes toward homosexuality. Comparative Political Studies, 50(8), 1055–1085. https://doi.org/10.1177/0010414016666836CrossRef

Byard, E., Kosciw, J., & Bartkiewicz, M. (2013). Schools and LGBT-parent families: Creating change through programming and advocacy. In LGBT-Parent Families: Innovations in Research and Implications for Practice (pp. 275–290). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4556-2_18

Camilleri, P., & Ryan, M. (2006). Social work students’ attitudes toward homosexuality and their knowledge and attitudes toward homosexual parenting as an alternative family unit: An Australian study. Social Work Education, 25(3), 288–304. https://doi.org/10.1080/02615470600565244CrossRef

Chaux, E., León, M., Cuellar, L., & Martínez, J. (2021). Public opinion toward LGBT people and rights in Latin America and the Caribbean. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228637.013.1941CrossRef

Clarke, V. (2001). What about the children? Arguments against lesbian and gay parenting. Women’s Studies International Forum, 24(5), 555–570. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0277-5395(01)00193-5CrossRef

Congreso Nacional de la República del Ecuador. (2003). Código de la Niñez y Adolescencia - Ley No. 2002–100. https://www.registrocivil.gob.ec/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2014/01/este-es-06-C%C3%93DIGO-DE-LA-NI%C3%91EZ-Y-ADOLESCENCIA-Leyes-conexas.pdf

Congreso Nacional de la República del Ecuador. (2005). Código Civil. https://www.registrocivil.gob.ec/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2017/05/Codificacion_del_Codigo_Civil.pdf

Constitución Política del Ecuador, 449 Registro Oficial (2008). http://www.asambleanacional.gov.ec/documentos/constitucion_de_bolsillo.pdf

Corrales, J. (2020). The expansion of LGBT rights in Latin America and the backlash. In M. J. Bosia, S. M. McEvoy, & M. Rahman (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of global LGBT and sexual diversity politics (pp. 184–200). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190673741.013.14

Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos. (2017). Opinión Consultiva OC-24/17: Identidad de Género, e igualdad y no discriminación a parejas del mismo sexo. http://www.corteidh.or.cr/docs/solicitudoc/solicitud_17_05_16_esp.pdf

Costa, P. A., Almeida, R., Anselmo, C., Ferreira, A., Pereira, H., & Leal, I. (2014). University students’ attitudes toward same-sex parenting and gay and lesbian rights in Portugal. Journal of Homosexuality, 61(12), 1667–1686. https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2014.951253CrossRefPubMed

Costa, P. A., Caldeira, S., Fernandes, I., Rita, C., Pereira, H., & Leal, I. (2013). Atitudes da população portuguesa em relação à homoparentalidade. Psicologia: Reflexão e Crítica, 26(4), 790–798. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0102-79722013000400020

Costa, P. A., Pereira, H., & Leal, I. (2015). “The contact hypothesis” and attitudes toward same-sex parenting. Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 12(2), 125–136. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-014-0171-8CrossRef

Costa, P. A., & Salinas-Quiroz, F. (2019). A comparative study of attitudes toward same-gender parenting and gay and lesbian rights in Portugal and in Mexico. Journal of Homosexuality, 66(13), 1909–1926. https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2018.1519303CrossRefPubMed

Costa, P. A., & Salinas-Quiroz, F. (2021). Attitudes toward LGBTQ+ people and LGBTQ+ rights in continental American-Hispanic nations. In Parenting and Couple Relationships Among LGBTQ+ People in Diverse Contexts (pp. 25–39). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-84189-8_3

Crawford, I., McLeod, A., Zamboni, B. D., & Jordan, M. B. (1999). Psychologists’ attitudes toward gay and lesbian parenting. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 30(4), 394–401. https://doi.org/10.1037/0735-7028.30.4.394CrossRef

Crawford, I., & Solliday, E. (1996). The attitudes of undergraduate college students toward gay parenting. Journal of Homosexuality, 30(4), 63–77. https://doi.org/10.1300/J082v30n04_04CrossRefPubMed

di Marco, D., Arenas, A., Hoel, H., & Munduate, L. (2019). Living a double life and experiencing modern sexual prejudice: The effect on Ecuadorean lesbian, gay, and bisexual workers’ well-being. In LGBTQ mental health: International perspectives and experiences. (pp. 43–57). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000159-004

el Universo. (2019). Corte Constitucional de Ecuador admite el matrimonio igualitario. https://www.eluniverso.com/noticias/2019/06/12/nota/7374447/corte-constitucional-ecuador-admitematrimonio-igualitario

Elo, S., Kääriäinen, M., Kanste, O., Pölkki, T., Utriainen, K., & Kyngäs, H. (2014). Qualitative content analysis: A focus on trustworthiness. SAGE Open, 4(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244014522633CrossRef

Elo, S., & Kyngäs, H. (2008). The qualitative content analysis process. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 62(1), 107–115. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2007.04569.xCrossRefPubMed

Flores, A. R. (2021). Social acceptance of LGBTI people in 175 countries and locations, 1981 to 2020. https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/Global-Acceptance-Index-LGBTI-Nov-2021.pdf

Frias-Navarro, D., Monterde-i-Bort, H., Pascual-Soler, M., & Badenes-Ribera, L. (2015). Etiology of homosexuality and attitudes toward same-sex parenting: A randomized study. The Journal of Sex Research, 52(2), 151–161. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2013.802757CrossRefPubMed

Gavora, P. (2015). The state-of-the-art of content analysis. Education Sciences, 1, 6–18.

Goldberg, A. E. (2014). Lesbian, gay, and heterosexual adoptive parents’ experiences in preschool environments. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 29(4), 669–681. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2014.07.008CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Goldberg, A. E., & Smith, J. Z. (2014). Preschool selection considerations and experiences of school mistreatment among lesbian, gay, and heterosexual adoptive parents. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 29(1), 64–75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2013.09.006CrossRefPubMed

Golombok, S. (2015). Introduction. In Modern Families (pp. 1–31). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781107295377.002

Gross, M., Vecho, O., Gratton, E., D’Amore, S., & Green, R. J. (2018). Religious affiliation, religiosity, and attitudes toward same-sex parenting. Journal of GLBT Family Studies, 14(3), 238–259. https://doi.org/10.1080/1550428X.2017.1326016CrossRef

Hermosa-Bosano, C. (2017). La transición al preescolar en familias homoparentales: Un acercamiento a las perspectivas de las familias y las escuelas. https://repositorio.uniandes.edu.co/bitstream/handle/1992/38700/u807914.pdf?sequence=1

Hermosa-Bosano, C., Hidalgo-Andrade, P., Olaya-Torres, A., Duque-Romero, C., Costa, P. A., and Salinas-Quiroz, F. (2021a). Predictors of attitudes toward lesbian and gay parenting in an Ecuadorian sample. Journal of GLBT Family Studies 1:18

Hermosa-Bosano, C., Hidalgo-Andrade, P., Olaya-Torres, A. J., Duque-Romero, C., Costa, P. A., & Salinas-Quiroz, F. (2021b). Attitudes toward lesbians, gay men, and their rights in a sample of Ecuadorian cisgender men and women. Journal of Homosexuality. https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2021.1948771CrossRefPubMed

Hermosa-Bosano, C., Vargas-Trujillo, E., & Ripoll-Núñez, K. (2019). Actitudes , percepciones de autoeficacia y prácticas de docentes de preescolar hacia el trabajo con familias homoparentales en Bogotá. Summa Psicológica UST, 16(2), 110–120. https://doi.org/10.18774/0719-448.x2019.16.415

Hicks, S. (2008). Gender role models... who needs ’em?! Qualitative Social Work, 7(1), 43–59. https://doi.org/10.1177/1473325007086415

Hicks, S. (2013). Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender parents and the question of gender. In A. E. Goldberg & K. R. Allen (Eds.), LGBT-parent families (pp. 149–162). Springer New York. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4556-2_10

IBM Corp. (2017). IBM SPSS statistics for windows, version 25.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp.

INEC. (2013). Estudio de Caso sobre condiciones de vida, inclusión social y cumplimiento de derechos humanos de la población LGBTI del Ecuador. https://www.ecuadorencifras.gob.ec/documentos/web-inec/Estadisticas_Sociales/LGBTI/Analisis_situacion_LGBTI.pdf%0D

Kuvalanka, K. A. (2013). The “second generation”: LGBTQ youth with LGBTQ parents. In A. Goldberg & K. R. Allen (Eds.), LGBT-parent families: Innovations in research and implications for practice (pp. 163–175). Springer Science+Business Media. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4556-2_11

Kuvalanka, K. A., & Goldberg, A. E. (2009). ‘“Second generation”’ voices: Queer youth with lesbian/bisexual mothers. 904–919. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-008-9327-2

Lincoln, Y., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Sage.CrossRef

Mayring, P. (2000). Qualitative content analysis. Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 1(2).

McCutcheon, J. (2011). Attitudes toward adoption by same-sex couples: Do gender roles matter? [University of Saskatchewan] In University of Saskatchewan https://doi.org/10.1007/s13398-014-0173-7.2

McLeod, A. C., Crawford, I., & Zechmeister, J. (1999). Heterosexual undergraduates’ attitudes toward gay fathers and their children. Journal of Psychology & Human Sexuality, 11(1), 43–62. https://doi.org/10.1300/J056v11n01_03CrossRef

Ministerio de Inclusión Económica y Social. (2021). Gestión de Adopciones - Agosto 2021. https://www.inclusion.gob.ec/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Informe-Adopciones-Agosto-2021-final_compressed.pdf

Nowell, L. S., Norris, J. M., White, D. E., & Moules, N. J. (2017). Thematic analysis: Striving to meet the trustworthiness criteria. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 16(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406917733847CrossRef

Pacilli, M. G., Taurino, A., Jost, J. T., & van der Toorn, J. (2011). System justification, right-wing conservatism, and internalized homophobia: Gay and lesbian attitudes toward same-sex parenting in Italy. Sex Roles, 65(7), 580–595. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-011-9969-5CrossRef

Pennington, J., & Knight, T. (2011). Through the lens of hetero-normative assumptions: Re-thinking attitudes towards gay parenting. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 13(1), 59–72. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691058.2010.519049CrossRef

Pistella, J., Tanzilli, A., Ioverno, S., Lingiardi, V., & Baiocco, R. (2018). Sexism and attitudes toward same-sex parenting in a sample of heterosexuals and sexual minorities: The mediation effect of sexual stigma. Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 15(2), 139–150. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-017-0284-yCrossRef

Rye, B. J., & Meaney, G. J. (2010). Self-defense, sexism, and etiological beliefs: Predictors of attitudes toward gay and lesbian adoption. Journal of GLBT Family Studies, 6(1), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1080/15504280903472485CrossRef

Simon, B., Grabow, H., & Böhme, N. (2015). On the meaning of respect for sexual minorities: The case of gays and lesbians. Psychology and Sexuality, 6(4), 297–310. https://doi.org/10.1080/19419899.2014.987683CrossRef

Suárez Andrade, G., & Berni, P. (2017). La adopción homoparental como medida de protección de los derechos del menor en el ordenamiento jurídico ecuatoriano. Espirales, Revista Multidisciplinaria De Investigación, 8, 1–19.

Takács, J., Szalma, I., & Bartus, T. (2016). Social attitudes toward adoption by same-sex couples in Europe. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 45(7), 1787–1798. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-016-0691-9CrossRefPubMed

Vaismoradi, M., Turunen, H., & Bondas, T. (2013). Content analysis and thematic analysis: Implications for conducting a qualitative descriptive study. In Nursing and Health Sciences (Vol. 15, Issue 3, pp. 398–405). https://doi.org/10.1111/nhs.12048

Valdivieso-Mora, E., Peet, C. L., Garnier-Villarreal, M., Salazar-Villanea, M., Johnson, D .K. (2016). A systematic review of the relationship between familism and mental health outcomes in Latino population. Frontiers in Psychology, 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01632

Vecho, O., Gross, M., Gratton, E., D’Amore, S., & Green, R. J. (2019). Attitudes toward same-sex marriage and parenting, ideologies, and social contacts: The mediation role of sexual prejudice moderated by gender. Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 16(1), 44–57. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-018-0331-3CrossRef

Vega Suriaga, E. (2019). De gays y trans a diversidades sexo/genéricas: dos décadas de despenalización de la homosexualidad en Ecuador. Interdisciplina, 17, 119–153. https://doi.org/10.22201/ceiich.24485705e.2019.17.67524

Webb, S. N., Chonody, J. M., & Kavanagh, P. S. (2017). Attitudes toward same-sex parenting: An effect of gender. Journal of Homosexuality, 64(11), 1583–1595. https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2016.1247540CrossRefPubMed

Title: “This is not What God Intended”: Attitudes Toward Adoption by Same-sex Couples in Ecuador
Authors: Carlos Hermosa-Bosano
Paula Hidalgo-Andrade
Anna Belén Marcillo
Adriana Olaya-Torres
Pedro Alexandre Costa
Fernando Salinas-Quiroz
Publication date: 30-06-2022
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: Sexuality Research and Social Policy / Issue 4/2022
Print ISSN: 1868-9884
Electronic ISSN: 1553-6610
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-022-00746-3

Springer Professional

Abstract

Introduction

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Policy Implications

Please log in to get access to your license.

Dont have a licence yet? Then find out more about our products and how to get one now:

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik"

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

Other articles of this Issue 4/2022

The Nature and Impact of Informal Mental Health Support in an LGBTQ Context: Exploring Peer Roles and Their Challenges

Outness Profiles and Mental Health in Brazilian Lesbian Women: a Cluster Analysis

“…Everybody Else Is More Privileged. Then It’s Us…”: a Qualitative Study Exploring Community Responses to Social Determinants of Health Inequities and Intersectional Exclusion Among Trans Women of Color in Detroit, Michigan

Gender Differences in the Relationship Between Maladaptive Perfectionism, Negative Body Image, Anxiety, and Nonsuicidal Self-Injury in Chinese Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Populations

“Far More Than a Deal”: Sexual and Gender Minorities’ Experiences of the Rental Housing Market in Hong Kong

Parenthood Aspirations Mediate the Association Between Sexual Orientation and Mental Health in Israel