Fathers in the newer family forms: male or female?

Current social trends have produced significant changes in the family system, with the emergence of newer family forms -- single parent and homosexual families. The author used the example of a six year old boy in a female homosexual family to discuss the theories of sex role development. The literature on father-absence and the converging roles of father and mother, men and women, were reviewed with suggestions that women may function as fathers in the newer family forms. Longitudinal studies of children in these newer family forms are needed to define the implications of these social changes for personality development theories and mental health care delivery.