Susan Golombok

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Susan Golombok FBA [1] (born 11 August 1954) is Professor of Family Research and Director of the Centre for Family Research at the University of Cambridge, [2] [3] [4] [5] and Professorial Fellow at Newnham College, Cambridge. [6] Her research on new family forms has contributed to theoretical understanding of family influences on child development and has addressed social and ethical issues that are of relevance to family life. [7]

Contents

Personal life and education

Golombok grew up Glasgow, Scotland, the only child of Clara and Benzion Golombok, and attended Hutchesons' Girls' School. [3] Following a first degree in Psychology at the University of Glasgow [6] in 1976, Susan was awarded a master's degree in Child Development at the University of London, Institute of Education in 1977, and a PhD at the University of London, Institute of Psychiatry in 1982, supervised by Professor Sir Michael Rutter.

Golombok married Professor John Rust in 1979 and they have one son, Jamie Rust, born in 1985. [3]

Career

Golombok held research positions at the Institute of Psychiatry for 10 years before being appointed to a Lectureship in Psychology at City University, London in 1987 where she established the Family and Child Psychology Research Centre. She became Professor of Family and Child Psychology in 1993. She moved to Cambridge in 2006 to take up the Chair of Family Research and the Directorship of the Centre for Family Research on the retirement of the Founder, Professor Martin Richards. [8] In 2005, she was Visiting Professor at Columbia University, New York, and in 2019, she was Visiting Distinguished Scholar at the Williams Institute, UCLA. [9]

Research

Golombok has pioneered research on lesbian mother families, gay father families, single mothers by choice, and families created by assisted reproductive technologies including in vitro fertilisation (IVF), donor insemination, egg donation and surrogacy. [10] She conducted one of the first studies worldwide of children in lesbian mother families in the 1970s [11] [12] and of children born by assisted reproduction in the 1980s. [13] [14] Her research has challenged popular myths and assumptions about the social and psychological consequences for children of being raised in new family forms, and has advanced theoretical understanding of parental influences on child development more generally by showing that the quality of family relationships and the social context of the family are more influential in children's psychological development than are the number, gender, sexual orientation or biological relatedness of their parents. [15] [16]

Impact of research on policy and legislation

Golombok's research has informed policy and legislation on new family forms in the UK and internationally. She has been invited to give evidence to regulatory bodies including the Dutch State Commission on Family Law, [17] [18] the Swedish Government Inquiry on Surrogate Motherhood, [19] the UK Law Commission, [20] and the French National Assembly Parliamentary Committee on Bioethics. [21]

She was a member of the UK government's surrogacy review committee in the late 1990s, a member of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics Working Party on Donor Conception in 2012–13, [22] and is currently a member of the International Commission on the Clinical Use of Human Germline Genome Editing.

Her research has been used as evidence in same-sex marriage legislation in a number of countries, including the US Supreme Court ruling in 2015, and in legislation on assisted reproduction such as the UK Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 that allowed same-sex parents to be joint legal parents of children born through assisted reproduction, and the 2019 amendment that facilitated single parents becoming the legal parents of children born through surrogacy. [23]

Publications

Publications by Golombok

Publications co-authored by Golombok

Awards

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">In vitro fertilisation</span> Assisted reproductive technology procedure

In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is a process of fertilisation where an egg is combined with sperm in vitro. The process involves monitoring and stimulating a patient's ovulatory process, removing an ovum or ova from their ovaries and letting sperm fertilise them in a culture medium in a laboratory. After the fertilised egg (zygote) undergoes embryo culture for 2–6 days, it is transferred by catheter into the uterus, with the intention of establishing a successful pregnancy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homosexuality and psychology</span> Homosexuality as viewed by the field of psychology

The field of psychology has extensively studied homosexuality as a human sexual orientation. The American Psychiatric Association listed homosexuality in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) in 1952, but that classification came under scrutiny in research funded by the National Institute of Mental Health. That research and subsequent studies consistently failed to produce any empirical or scientific basis for regarding homosexuality as anything other than a natural and normal sexual orientation that is a healthy and positive expression of human sexuality. As a result of this scientific research, the American Psychiatric Association declassified homosexuality as a mental disorder in 1973. Upon a thorough review of the scientific data, the American Psychological Association followed in 1975 and also called on all mental health professionals to take the lead in "removing the stigma of mental illness that has long been associated" with homosexuality. In 1993, the National Association of Social Workers adopted the same position as the American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychological Association, in recognition of scientific evidence. The World Health Organization, which listed homosexuality in the ICD-9 in 1977, removed homosexuality from the ICD-10 which was endorsed by the 43rd World Health Assembly on 17 May 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Surrogacy</span> Arrangement in which a woman carries and delivers a child for another couple or person

Surrogacy is an arrangement, often supported by a legal agreement, whereby a woman agrees to delivery/labour on behalf of another couple or person, who will become the child's parent(s) after birth. People may seek a surrogacy arrangement when a couple do not wish to carry a pregnancy themselves, when pregnancy is medically impossible, when pregnancy risks are dangerous for the intended mother, or when a single man or a male same sex couple wish to have a child.

Third-party reproduction or donor-assisted reproduction is any human reproduction in which DNA or gestation is provided by a third party or donor other than the one or two parents who will raise the resulting child. This goes beyond the traditional father–mother model, and the third party's involvement is limited to the reproductive process and does not extend into the raising of the child. Third-party reproduction is used by couples unable to reproduce by traditional means, by same-sex couples, and by men and women without a partner. Where donor gametes are provided by a donor, the donor will be a biological parent of the resulting child, but in third party reproduction, he or she will not be the caring parent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT parenting</span> LGBT people raising one or more children

LGBT parenting refers to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people raising one or more children as parents or foster care parents. This includes: children raised by same-sex couples, children raised by single LGBT parents, and children raised by an opposite-sex couple where at least one partner is LGBT.

Co-parenting is an enterprise undertaken by parents who together take on the socialization, care, and upbringing of children for whom they share equal responsibility. The co-parent relationship differs from an intimate relationship between adults in that it focuses solely on the child. The equivalent term in evolutionary biology is bi-parental care, where parental investment is provided by both the mother and father.

Susan Fiona Dorinthea Michie is a British academic, clinical psychologist, and professor of health psychology, director of The Centre for Behaviour Change and head of The Health Psychology Research Group, all at University College London. She is also an advisor to the British Government via the SAGE advisory group on matters concerning behavioural compliance with government regulations during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, she was appointed Chair of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Technical Advisory Group on Behavioural Insights and Sciences for Health.

Robert-Jay Green is founder and senior research fellow of the Rockway Institute, and distinguished professor (emeritus) in the Clinical Psychology PhD Program of the California School of Professional Psychology, a division of Alliant International University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susan Sutherland Isaacs</span> British educational psychologist and psychoanalyst

Susan Sutherland Isaacs, CBE was a Lancashire-born educational psychologist and psychoanalyst. She published studies on the intellectual and social development of children and promoted the nursery school movement. For Isaacs, the best way for children to learn was by developing their independence. She believed that the most effective way to achieve this was through play, and that the role of adults and early educators was to guide children's play.

Fertility tourism is the practice of traveling to another country or jurisdiction for fertility treatment, and may be regarded as a form of medical tourism. A person who can become pregnant is considered to have fertility issues if they are unable to have a clinical pregnancy after 12 months of unprotected intercourse. Infertility, or the inability to get pregnant, affects about 8-12% of couples looking to conceive or 186 million people globally. In some places, rates of infertility surpass the global average and can go up to 30% depending on the country. Areas with lack of resources, such as assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs), tend to correlate with the highest rates of infertility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in South Australia</span>

The rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in the Australian state of South Australia are advanced and well-established. South Australia has had a chequered history with respect to the rights of LGBT people. Initially, the state was a national pioneer of LGBT rights in Australia, being the first in the country to decriminalise homosexuality and to introduce a non-discriminatory age of consent for all sexual activity. Subsequently, the state fell behind other Australian jurisdictions in areas including relationship recognition and parenting, with the most recent law reforms regarding the recognition of same-sex relationships, LGBT adoption and strengthened anti-discrimination laws passed in 2016 and went into effect in 2017.

Katherine Nelson was an American developmental psychologist, and professor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Surrogacy laws by country</span>

The legal aspects of surrogacy in any particular jurisdiction tend to hinge on a few central questions:

Law in Australia with regard to children is often based on what is considered to be in the best interest of the child. The traditional and often used assumption is that children need both a mother and a father, which plays an important role in divorce and custodial proceedings, and has carried over into adoption and fertility procedures. As of April 2018 all Australian states and territories allow adoption by same-sex couples.

Martin Paul Meredith Richards is a British psychologist, Professor of Family Research at the University of Cambridge 1997–2005, and since emeritus.

LGBT parents in Canada have undergone significant progress in terms of both legal and social acceptance. Same-sex couples who wish for parenthood now enjoy equally the possibilities, responsibilities and rights of opposite-sex couples. Following the nationwide legalization of same-sex marriage in 2005, the number of LGBT families in Canada has increased substantially, paving the way for same-sex couples' aspirations of having their own children. Legal methods of assisted reproduction range from insemination via IVF through to surrogacy arrangements.

Janellen Huttenlocher was a psychologist and professor known for her research in the field of the child's environment in the development of cognitive skills. She was the William S. Gray Professor Emeritus in Psychology at the University of Chicago at the time of her death.

Robyn Fivush is the Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Psychology and Director of the Institute for the Liberal Arts at Emory University, College of Arts and Sciences in Atlanta, Georgia. She is well known for her research on parent-child narrative in relation to the development of autobiographical memory. Fivush is affiliated with the Departments of Psychology and Women's Studies at Emory.

Jenae M. Neiderhiser is an American behavior geneticist who is a Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Human Development and Family Studies at Pennsylvania State University, where she is also co-director of the Gene Environment Research Initiative.

Kim Bergman is an American psychologist, author, and surrogacy advocate. Her book Your Future Family: The Essential Guide to Assisted Reproduction was published in 2019.

References

  1. ↑ "Professor Susan Golombok FBA". The British Academy. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  2. ↑ "Susan Golombok". Centre for Family Research. 29 August 2013. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 Golombok, Prof. Susan Esther. Who's Who. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U17435. ISBN   978-0-19-954088-4.
  4. ↑ Debrett's People of Today 2007. Debrett's Ltd. 2006.
  5. ↑ "GOLOMBOK, SUSAN - BIOGRAPHY". Thomas Jefferson University. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  6. 1 2 "Professor Susan Golombok". Newnham College.
  7. ↑ "Professor Susan Golombok". Centre for Family Research. 29 August 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  8. ↑ "History". Centre for Family Research. 16 August 2013. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  9. ↑ "Williams Institute" . Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  10. ↑ "Surrogacy speakers 2019". Cambridge Family Law Centre. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  11. ↑ Golombok, S; Spencer, A; Rutter, M (1983). "Children in lesbian and single parent households: Psychosexual and psychiatric appraisal". Journal of Child Psychology & Psychiatry. 24 (4): 551‑572. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.1983.tb00132.x. PMID   6630329.
  12. ↑ "How changing families are affecting our children's well-being". New Scientist. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  13. ↑ Golombok, S; Bhanji, F; Rutherford, T; Winston, R (1990). "Psychological development of children conceived by in vitro fertilisation: A pilot study". Journal of Infant & Reproductive Psychology. 8 (1): 7–43. doi:10.1080/02646839008403606.
  14. ↑ Golombok, S; Cook, R; Bish, A; Murray, C (1995). "Families created by the new reproductive technologies: Quality of parenting and social and emotional development of the children". Child Development. 66 (2): 285–298. doi:10.2307/1131578. JSTOR   1131578.
  15. ↑ Golombok, S (2015). Modern families: Parents and children in new family forms. Cambridge University Press.
  16. ↑ Tucker, Ian (6 October 2012). "Susan Golombok: Three-parent families can be as good as two". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  17. ↑ "Government of the Netherlands". Government Committee: Amend the legislation on parentage and custody. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  18. ↑ "Government of the Netherlands". Child and parents in the 21st century. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  19. ↑ Ilioi, E; Golombok, S (2015). "Report for the Swedish Government Inquiry on Surrogate Motherhood: Preliminary Findings from the UK Longitudinal Study of Assisted Reproduction Families at Age 14".
  20. ↑ "Building families through surrogacy: a new law" (PDF). 2019.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  21. ↑ "Mission d'information sur la révision de la loi relative à la bioéthique". Assemblée nationale. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  22. ↑ Knight, R; Dondorp, W; Edwards, J; Golombok, S; Lucassen, A; Pike, S; Scott, S; L, Witjens (2013). "Donor Conception: Ethical aspects of information sharing".
  23. ↑ Tim, Jarrett. "Children: surrogacy – single people and parental orders (UK)". House of Commons Library. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  24. ↑ "Book Award". The British Psychological Society.
  25. ↑ "Winners". Association of American Publishers.
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