Parental sexual orientation and gender identity do not in themselves determine success in parenting or child development: Sexual & gender minority parents & their children have shown remarkable resilience, even in the face of many challenges

Parental sexual orientation, parental gender identity, and the development of children. Charlotte J. Patterson. Advances in Child Development and Behavior, April 22 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.acdb.2022.03.002

Abstract: In recent years, many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) adults have become parents. LGBTQ parenthood does, however, remain a controversial topic across the United States and around the world. Several questions have been raised. For instance, to what extent do LGBTQ adults make capable parents? Do children who have LGBTQ parents grow up in healthy ways? What factors contribute to positive family functioning in families with LGBTQ parents? A growing body of social science research has addressed these questions, and the findings suggest both that LGBTQ adults are successful in their roles as parents and that their children develop in positive ways. Overall, the findings to date suggest that parental sexual orientation and gender identity do not in themselves determine success in parenting or child development; indeed, sexual and gender minority parents and their children have shown remarkable resilience, even in the face of many challenges. Contextual issues, as well as implications of research findings for law and policy around the world are discussed.

Keywords: Sexual orientationParentLesbianGayBisexualTransgenderGender identity

Investigating the Pink Tax: Evidence Against a Systematic Price Premium for Women in personal care products

Moshary, Sarah and Tuchman, Anna and Bhatia, Natasha, Investigating the Pink Tax: Evidence Against a Systematic Price Premium for Women in CPG (December 16, 2021). SSRN: http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3882214

Abstract: This paper provides evidence on price disparities for personal care products targeted at different genders using a national dataset of grocery, convenience, drugstore, and mass merchandiser sales. We find that women’s products are more expensive in some categories (e.g., deodorant) but less expensive in others (e.g., razors). Further, in an apples-to-apples comparison of women’s and men’s products with similar ingredients, the women’s variant is less expensive in three out of five categories. Our results call into question the need for and efficacy of recently proposed and enacted legislation mandating price parity across gendered products.

Keywords: Price Discrimination, Gender, Pink Tax

JEL Classification: L66, M31, D63

Poorly governing ethnic parties persist because core supporters remain loyal in the face of poor governance because of dignity concerns, and are most likely to forgive ethnic parties for failing to address bread-and-butter issues

Malik, Mashail, Discrimination & Defiant Pride: How the Demand for Dignity Can Create Slack for Poor Governance (February 24, 2022). SSRN: http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4043185

Abstract: Why do poorly governing ethnic parties persist? Dominant approaches to ethnic voting explain this persistence by arguing that core supporters receive material benefits in exchange for loyal support. In this paper, I argue that within-group variation in continued support for ethnic parties is not explained by such instrumental theories. Instead, I show that core supporters remain loyal in the face of poor governance because of dignity concerns. Those in-group members who face more discrimination from state arms dominated by other ethnic groups are also those who place a higher value on the provision of group status through descriptive representation. As a result, these subgroups are also more willing to trade-off good governance with descriptive representation. This creates a perverse incentive for ethnic parties to under-serve their most loyal supporters. Because individuals from lower social classes are more exposed to state discrimination, this means that those who would benefit most from improvements in public goods and services are also (1) least likely to see these improvements, and (2) most likely to forgive ethnic parties for failing to address bread and-butter issues. This argument is supported by ethnographic, descriptive, and experimental evidence from the megacity of Karachi, Pakistan.