Variables such as the sex of the child and whether it is a gay or lesbian couple hinder the results of such studies. Studies have shown that single-parented families have the same problems which face homosexual families. The absence of either a male or female figure has been shown to detract from the aspects of a child's upbringing. .
Single-parent families, through death, divorce, or complete absence of the fatherly or motherly figure have been a common trait amongst today's society. Particularly amongst the younger generations, teenage pregnancy has led to many single-parented families due to the partner not supporting the child and on the common grounds of rape. In 1997 there were 502,900 one-parent families, with 845,700 children involved (source: The Australian, June 1997). Although many of these situations cannot be helped, the same problems can occur for the children involved as in homosexual relationships. Growing up neglected due to their parent's needs and lacking basic discipline are just some of the problems which have been known to complicate single-parented children. In the past single-parent families were not particularly common either. History suggests that it was the women whom were always the single-parents under the circumstances. .
Centuries have passed where widowers were common and ran a normal family life. Whilst if a women was raped her family would disown her, as would any male, creating a single-parented family out on the street. During the war years, many families were broken apart, creating many widows, but also creating the highest crude marriage rate between 1860 and 1990 with some exceptions. In 1993 until 1998 single-parent families ascended by almost a third in Queensland, which was the highest in the country at 32%. The same source also shows that 13% of the sole parents in Australia are in fact men (source: Sunday Mail, 28/06/98), which is extremely different to that of the war years.
