Adoption by Same-Sex Couples: The Relationship Between Adoption Worker and Social Work Student Sex-Role Beliefs and Attitudes

The current study investigated the relationship between sex-role beliefs and attitudes toward same-sex couple adoptions as suggested by Feminist and Queer theory. A mailed questionnaire was used to collect data from a purposive sample of adoption workers and social work students. The questionnaire included an abbreviated version of the Sex-Role Egalitarianism Scale and the newly created Attitudes Toward Same-Sex Couples as Adoptive Parents Scale. Findings supported the existence of a positive, linear relationship between sex-role beliefs and attitudes. Implications of the results, limitations of the investigation, and directions for future research are presented. (C) 2006 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.