The Case against Different-Sex Marriage in Kant

AbstractRecently, a number of Kantians have argued that despite Kant’s own disparaging comments about same-sex intercourse and marriage, his ethical and legal philosophy lacks the resources to show that they are impermissible. I go further by arguing that his framework is in fact more open to same-sex than to different-sex marriage. Central is Kant’s claim that marriage requires equality between spouses. Kant himself thought that men and women are not equal, and some of his more insightful remarks on the issue reveal that he was also aware that, as a matter of fact, women were disenfranchised by society, and suffer legal and other forms of discrimination. Kant, according to his own account, cannot approve of heterosexual marriage. Same-sex couples, by contrast, can satisfy the crucial equality condition. I conclude with a suggestion for refocus with respect to the issues at hand, calling for attention to more complex and insidious forms of inequality than deprivation of rights and full civil participation.

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Communicative Doubt

Representing God ◽

10.23943/princeton/9780691193632.003.0006 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 117-139

Author(s):

Méadhbh McIvor

Keyword(s):

Good News ◽

Church Members ◽

Same Sex ◽

Political Debate ◽

Men And Women ◽

Same Sex Couples ◽

Law And Politics ◽

Christ Church ◽

Conservative Christian ◽

The Individual

This chapter studies the use of biblically inflected speech in political debate. It begins by examining the arguments raised by conservative Christian activists in their campaign to prevent the passage of the Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Act 2013. Introducing the concept of 'communicative doubt', the chapter argues that there is a sense in which neither 'religious' nor 'secular' arguments are thought to be an appropriate means of conveying Biblical Truth to those who are not (yet) Christian, for what is needed is the intervention of a speaking God. It then explores this doubt as it manifested in the lives of two Christ Church members who had been involved in one of the Christian Legal Centre's earliest cases. Five years on, they remained unsure of whether or not it communicated the Good News they had hoped to share. These doubts, hesitations, and ambivalences speak to the contested place of public Christianity in contemporary England, and to the difficulties faced by those who insist that their faith must go public: the challenge of rendering Christianity legible not only to law and politics, but to the individual men and women who are subject to these worldly institutions.

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EXPOSURE AND EMOTIONAL REACTIVITY TO DAILY STRESS IN SAME-SEX AND DIFFERENT-SEX MARRIAGES

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.2935 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S797-S797

Author(s):

Michael Garcia ◽

Rachel Donnelly ◽

Debra Umberson

Keyword(s):

Emotional Reactivity ◽

Well Being ◽

Heterosexual Couples ◽

Same Sex ◽

Daily Stressors ◽

Daily Stress ◽

Men And Women ◽

Same Sex Couples ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Gendered Patterns

Abstract Recent work exploring links between stress processes and well-being within marriage suggest that women may be at an increased risk for exposure and emotional reactivity to daily stress. However, studies have focused primarily on heterosexual couples, raising questions concerning whether and how these gendered patterns might unfold differently for men and women in same-sex marriages. In the present study, we analyze 10 days of dyadic diary data from 756 midlife men and women in 378 gay, lesbian, and heterosexual marriages to consider how exposure and emotional reactivity to daily stress may differ across union types. We find that women are exposed to more daily stressors than men and that this exposure is especially detrimental to the well-being of women in different-sex marriages. These findings highlight the need to include same-sex couples when exploring gendered linkages between daily stress processes and well-being within marriage.

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Will providing marriage rights to same-sex couples undermine heterosexual marriage?

Sexuality Research and Social Policy ◽

10.1525/srsp.2004.1.3.1 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 1 (3) ◽

pp. 1-10 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

M. V. Lee Badgett

Keyword(s):

Same Sex ◽

Same Sex Couples ◽

Heterosexual Marriage

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Daily Marital Strain and Sleep in Same-Sex and Different-Sex Couples

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.2045 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 605-606

Author(s):

Michael Garcia

Keyword(s):

Sleep Quality ◽

Well Being ◽

Same Sex ◽

Men And Women ◽

Same Sex Couples ◽

Diary Data ◽

Union Type ◽

Gender Impacts ◽

Marital Strain ◽

Health And Well Being

Abstract Marital strain has consistently been linked to many indicators of daily health and well-being, including sleep. Prior studies show that, on days when marital strain is higher, women in different-sex couples experience poorer sleep outcomes. However, this work has not yet considered whether and how these relationships differ for men and women in same-sex couples. Using 10 days of dyadic diary data from 756 midlife U.S. men and women in 378 gay, lesbian, and heterosexual marriages, we examine the associations of daily marital strain with sleep quality and duration and consider whether these relationships differ across union type. Results suggest that increased marital strain is associated with poorer sleep quality and shorter sleep duration, but only for women married to men. These findings underscore the importance of including same-sex couples when exploring linkages between marital dynamics and health, especially when considering how gender impacts these processes.

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Support in response to a spouse’s distress: Comparing women and men in same-sex and different-sex marriages

Journal of Social and Personal Relationships ◽

10.1177/0265407521998453 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 026540752199845

Author(s):

Mieke Beth Thomeer ◽

Amanda M. Pollitt ◽

Debra Umberson

Keyword(s):

Psychological Distress ◽

Married Couples ◽

Same Sex ◽

Time And Space ◽

Dyadic Data ◽

Men And Women ◽

Negatively Associated ◽

Same Sex Couples ◽

Personal Time ◽

The U.S

Support for a spouse with psychological distress can be expressed in many different ways. Previous research indicates that support expression is shaped by gender, but we do not know much about how support within marriage is provided in response to a spouse’s distress outside of a different-sex couple context. In this study, we analyze dyadic data from 378 midlife married couples (35–65 years; N = 756 individuals) within the U.S. to examine how men and women in same- and different-sex relationships provide support when they perceive that their spouse is experiencing distress. We find women in different-sex couples are less likely to report taking care of their distressed spouse’s tasks or giving their distressed spouse more personal time and space compared to women in same-sex couples and men. We also find that men in different-sex couples are less likely to report encouraging their spouse to talk compared to men in same-sex couples and women. Being personally stressed by a spouse’s distress is positively associated with providing support to that spouse, whereas feeling that a spouse’s distress is stressful for the marriage is negatively associated with providing support. This study advances understanding of gendered provisions of support in response to psychological distress in marriage, moving beyond a framing of women as fundamentally more supportive than men to a consideration of how these dynamics may be different or similar in same- and different-sex marital contexts.

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Support in Response to a Spouse's Distress: Comparing Women and Men in Same-Sex and Different-Sex Marriages

10.31235/osf.io/be82v ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Mieke Beth Thomeer ◽

Amanda Pollitt ◽

Debra Umberson

Keyword(s):

Psychological Distress ◽

Married Couples ◽

Personal Relationships ◽

Same Sex ◽

Dyadic Data ◽

Men And Women ◽

Negatively Associated ◽

Same Sex Couples ◽

Personal Time ◽

The U.S

Accepted at the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships Abstract: Support for a spouse with psychological distress can be expressed in many different ways. Previous research indicates that support expression is shaped by gender, but we do not know much about how support within marriage is provided in response to a spouse’s distress outside of a different-sex couple context. In this study, we analyze dyadic data from 378 midlife married couples (35-65 years; N = 756 individuals) within the U.S. to examine how men and women in same- and different-sex relationships provide support when they perceive that their spouse is experiencing distress. We find women in different-sex couples are less likely to report taking care of their distressed spouse’s tasks or giving their distressed spouse more personal time and space compared to women in same-sex couples and men. We also find that men in different-sex couples are less likely to report encouraging their spouse to talk compared to men in same-sex couples and women. Being personally stressed by a spouse’s distress is positively associated with providing support to that spouse, whereas feeling that a spouse’s distress is stressful for the marriage is negatively associated with providing support. This study advances understanding of gendered provisions of support in response to psychological distress in marriage, moving beyond a framing of women as fundamentally more supportive than men to a consideration of how these dynamics may be different or similar in same- and different-sex marital contexts.

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