The UK has been voted the best country for LGBT parents, according to a new survey.
The research, conducted by Lifecake, found that attitudes towards the traditional ‘nuclear’ family are changing, with an increasing number of LGBT parents, working mums and stay-at-home dads.
Changing work patterns for women and men, an increase in LGBT marriages and adoptions, rapid technological advances and the rising cost of living have all shifted the state of the nuclear family unit over the past decade.
According to the survey, UK is the most supportive LGBT country with 75 per cent of respondents declaring it the best place for LGBT parents to live.
London was voted the best city for LGBT parents, followed by Brighton, Manchester and Oxford. At the other end of the scale, Bradford and Belfast came in last.
The survey also found that 70 per cent of men and 65 per cent of women agree that men should be taking a more active role in parenting than a decade ago. Meanwhile, nearly half of young people are in favour of gender-neutral parenting.
Fewer men than women believe that the workplace has improved for working parents. The survey concluded that better flexibility from employers is needed – with 65 per cent of Londoners still wanting companies to offer greater flexibility of working hours.
When asked whether children were no longer a barrier to women’s career advancement, 40 per cent of women said yes, with 47 per cent of men agreeing.
Lifecake co-founder, Ed Botterill said, “The family dynamic in the UK has undergone a dramatic change within a relatively short space of time, with a shift away from the traditional nuclear family.”
“Our study shows how social attitudes have evolved to reflect these new family types.”
