scholarly journals Patterns Among Same-Sex Spousal Couples: Diverse Sociocultural Representation in Alzheimer’s Research

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 405-405
Author(s):  
Shana Stites
Keyword(s):  
Gay Men ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
Health And Retirement Study ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Same Sex Couples ◽  
Research Engagement ◽  
Feminine Norms ◽  
Sociocultural Diversity ◽  
Retirement Study

Abstract Emerging evidence shows that understanding characteristic patterns between study partners (SP) and subjects can inform initiatives to diversify representation of sociocultural groups in ADRD research. This study examined same-sex spousal dyads with the goal of identifying bellwethers of opportunities to build diversity in ADRD research. Descriptive analysis of The Aging, Demographics and Memory Study (ADAMS), which enrolled a subset of subjects from the Health and Retirement Study and a SP for each subject. Eight same-sex spousal couples were among 718 SP-subject dyads (1.1%). Gay men were 3 times as likely to be spousal SPs (n=6) than lesbians (n=2), even though women far outnumber men overall. Patterns in caregiving and other characteristics also differed. Same-sex couples are underrepresented in ADRD research. Patterns among those enrolled suggest masculine and feminine norms may drive research engagement. This is discussed in the context of increasing sociocultural diversity in ADRD research across key social groups.

scholarly journals Same-Sex Couples and Cognitive Impairment: Evidence From the Health and Retirement Study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hui Liu ◽  
Ning Hsieh ◽  
Zhenmei Zhang ◽  
Yan Zhang ◽  
Kenneth M Langa
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
The United States ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Cognitive Status ◽  
Health And Retirement Study ◽  
Sex Partners ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Same Sex Couples ◽  
Retirement Study

Abstract Objectives We provide the first nationally representative population-based study of cognitive disparities among same-sex and different-sex couples in the United States. Methods We analyzed data from the Health and Retirement Study (2000–2016). The sample included 23,669 respondents (196 same-sex partners and 23,473 different-sex partners) aged 50 and older who contributed to 85,117 person-period records (496 from same-sex partners and 84,621 from different-sex partners). Cognitive impairment was assessed using the modified version of the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status. Mixed-effects discrete-time hazard regression models were estimated to predict the odds of cognitive impairment. Results The estimated odds of cognitive impairment were 78% (p < .01) higher for same-sex partners than for different-sex partners. This disparity was mainly explained by differences in marital status and, to a much lesser extent, by differences in physical and mental health. Specifically, a significantly higher proportion of same-sex partners than different-sex partners were cohabiting rather than legally married (72.98% vs. 5.42% in the study sample), and cohabitors had a significantly higher risk of cognitive impairment than their married counterparts (odds ratio = 1.53, p < .001). Discussion The findings indicate that designing and implementing public policies and programs that work to eliminate societal homophobia, especially among older adults, is a critical step in reducing the elevated risk of cognitive impairment among older same-sex couples.

scholarly journals The Role of Sexual Prejudice and Aetiology Beliefs on the Italians’ Attitudes towards Adoption by Same-Sex Couples

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Di Battista ◽  
Daniele Paolini ◽  
Monica Pivetti ◽  
Lucia Mongelli
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Gay Men ◽  
Sexual Prejudice ◽  
Gay And Lesbian ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Lesbian Couples ◽  
Same Sex Couples ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
The Relationship

Research found that those who believe sexual orientation is inborn have generally positive attitudes towards gay men and lesbians. However, other studies have also found that these beliefs could include negative eugenic ideas. This study aims to investigate the role of people’s beliefs about the aetiology of sexual orientation on attitudes towards adoption for both gay and lesbian couples. We hypothesized that this relationship would be mediated by sexual prejudice. To test the predictions, 256 Italian heterosexual participants were asked to answer to a scale about their beliefs regarding the aetiology of sexual orientation, sexual prejudice, and attitudes towards adoption by same-sex couples. Results confirmed that the relationship between aetiology beliefs and adoption support was fully mediated by sexual prejudice. These investigation results suggest that the belief that sexual orientation is controllable may serve to justify one’s prejudice and, in turn, result in a lower support for same-sex couples’ adoption.

‘Who's the Man and Who's the Woman?’ Same-sex Couples in Queensland ‘Doing’ Gender and Domestic Labour

2007 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Kentlyn
Keyword(s):  
Gay Men ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
Private Space ◽  
Same Sex Couples ◽  
Single Form ◽  
Domestic Labour ◽  
Southeast Queensland ◽  
Do So

This article reports an exploratory study that investigated domestic labour in same-sex households, to the best of my knowledge the first in Australia to do so. In-depth semi-structured interviews with 12 couples in Southeast Queensland reveal that these lesbians and gay men do not take on heteronormative gender roles when doing domestic labour, and that their practices reflect a variety of styles of sharing, with no pattern emerging as clearly dominant. Theoretical frameworks conceptualising gender as performative, and queer theory's figuring of identity as a constellation of multiple and unstable positions, suggest how the performance of gender may vary in different domains of social and cultural space, and in relation to other actors in those spaces. I have conceptualised this process by means of an analogy with the modulation of sound such that each person adjusts the balance between treble (conventionally feminine behaviours, attitudes and attributes) and bass (conventionally masculine behaviours and attributes). Rather than being ‘the man’ or ‘the woman’, or even displaying a single form of gay masculinity or lesbian femininity, lesbians and gay men can be seen to perform varying degrees of masculinity and femininity in the private space of the home, and in relation to their intimate partners, by the way they engage with domestic labour. Finally, I reflect on how the socio-geographical specificities of being situated in Southeast Queensland may have impacted on this research.

scholarly journals United States Normative Attitudes for Pursuing Parenthood as a Function of Gender, Sexual Orientation, and Age

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Doyle P. Tate
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Gay Men ◽  
The United States ◽  
Internet Survey ◽  
Lesbian Women ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Descriptive Norms ◽  
Same Sex Couples ◽  
Lesbian And Gay

Decisions about whether or not to become a parent are significant parts of normative human development. Many studies have shown that married different-sex couples are expected to become parents, and that many social pressures enforce this norm. For same-sex couples, however, much less is known about social norms surrounding parenthood within marriage. This study examined injunctive norms and descriptive norms for the pursuit of parenthood as a function of age, gender, and sexual orientation. Participants in an internet survey included 1020 (522 heterosexual, 498 lesbian/gay) cisgender people from across the United States Findings showed that norms, especially descriptive norms, for the pursuit of parenthood for heterosexual people were much stronger than those for lesbian women and gay men, and that norms for lesbian women were stronger than those for gay men. These differences were more pronounced for older, heterosexual, and male participants. However, lesbian and gay participants, especially gay men, reported that lesbian and gay people ought to become parents to the same extent as heterosexual people. Overall, the results indicated that, regardless of sexual orientation, adults report that lesbian and gay married people ought to become parents, but that they expect only a minority of these couples will pursue parenthood. This research provided a glimpse into how Americans are envisioning family formation among same-sex couples today.

Challenging Heteronormativity: An Analysis of the Effect of Sexual Orientation on Earnings in Spain

2021 ◽  
pp. 0192513X2199318
Author(s):  
M. José González ◽  
İbrahim Sönmez
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Gay Men ◽  
Social Acceptance ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Wage Differences ◽  
Same Sex Couples ◽  
Opposite Sex ◽  
Using Data ◽  
High Degree

Using data from the Spanish Labor Force Survey between 2006 and 2018, we explore whether sexual orientation causes wage differences for partnered women and men in Spain. The study confirms that men in same-sex couples significantly earn less than men in opposite-sex couples, confirming our hypothesis for the “hegemonic masculinity premium.” Women in same-sex couples also outearn women in opposite-sex couples, but this effect disappears after controlling for differences in human capital characteristics. Despite the high degree of social acceptance of homosexuality in Spain, partnered gay men are not able to avoid the negative earnings effects of discrimination in the labor market.

Governing through love: Same-sex cohabitation in Sweden

Sexualities ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 604-621 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catrine Andersson
Keyword(s):  
Gay Men ◽  
Gay Identity ◽  
Lesbian Women ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Same Sex Couples ◽  
Policy Context ◽  
Homosexual Orientation ◽  
Identity Based ◽  
The Government

The concept of love was introduced into a Swedish policy context in the early 1980s as regulations of same-sex cohabitation were proposed. The same-sex cohabitation legislation was presented as a tool in the battle against discrimination of lesbian women and gay men in the government commissioned reports, and offered an inclusion of same-sex couples based on the idea of same-sex love and heterosexual love as fundamentally the same. The article demonstrates how this governing of same-sex relationships rested heavily on authenticity and inclusion/exclusion of wanted/unwanted non-heterosexual subjects. By creating a concept of gay identity based on an essentialist notion of orientation, love was used as a sign of normality indicating authentic ‘homosexual orientation’ and restricting this authenticity to individuals in monogamous and stable same-sex relationships. Nevertheless, the act only recognized a selected few and created new lines of division between different non-heterosexual subjectivities.

Parenthood Desire in Italian Homosexual Couples

2021 ◽  
pp. 0192513X2199969
Author(s):  
Alessandra Santona ◽  
Arianna Vecchi ◽  
Laura Gorla ◽  
Giacomo Tognasso
Keyword(s):  
Social Control ◽  
Gay Men ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Gay Male Couples ◽  
Heterosexual Couples ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Male Couples ◽  
Same Sex Couples ◽  
Gay Male ◽  
Desire To Have Children

Many Italian gay and lesbian individuals have the desire to become parents, despite the fact that they still face barriers due to the low acceptance of same-sex parenthood. This study investigates the desire and motivation of same-sex couples to have children. The sample consists of 31 same-sex couples (17 lesbian couples and 14 gay male couples) and 31 heterosexual couples. All the participants were childless at the time of the study and had been involved in their current relationship for at least two years. We used the Parenthood Motivation List (PML) to assess motivations underlying the desire to have children. The results showed that both groups wanted to have children and considered the same motivations to be important for parenthood. We discovered that happiness, well-being, and parenthood were important for same-sex parenthood, while social control was considered less important. In addition, gay men and lesbians had lower scores for well-being and identity.

Marriage equality in Australia: The ‘no’ vote and symbolic violence

2020 ◽  
Vol 56 (4) ◽  
pp. 664-674 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Flaherty ◽  
Jennifer Wilkinson
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Gay Men ◽  
Symbolic Violence ◽  
Marriage Equality ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Same Sex Couples ◽  
Legal Provisions ◽  
Sydney Harbour ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Uk

Until December 2017, there were no legal provisions within the Commonwealth of Australia for same-sex couples to marry in the same sense that their heterosexual friends and family can. Civil unions provide similar legal protections as marriage, but many argue that this is not enough – that same-sex couples occupy a ‘second-class’ citizen status in relation to marriage. Many jurisdictions globally recognise marriage equality: the UK, New Zealand, Canada and the USA, to name but a few globally, and those societies most similar to Australia’s. This article explores the attitudes towards elements of marriage equality among a group of gay men in Australia. Despite the ‘yes’ vote for marriage equality polling about two-thirds of eligible voters, a slew of symbolically violent messages appeared, including ‘Vote No’ skywritten across the emblematic Sydney Harbour, and ‘Vote no to faggots’ graffiti etched across Sydney train carriages. The importance of love is key in defence against this symbolic violence.

scholarly journals The Role of Sexual Prejudice and Aetiology Beliefs on the Italians’ Attitudes towards Adoption by Same-Sex Couples

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Di Battista ◽  
Daniele Paolini ◽  
Monica Pivetti ◽  
Lucia Mongelli
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Gay Men ◽  
Sexual Prejudice ◽  
Gay And Lesbian ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Lesbian Couples ◽  
Same Sex Couples ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
The Relationship

Research found that those who believe sexual orientation is inborn have generally positive attitudes towards gay men and lesbians. However, other studies have also found that these beliefs could include negative eugenic ideas. This study aims to investigate the role of people’s beliefs about the aetiology of sexual orientation on attitudes towards adoption for both gay and lesbian couples. We hypothesized that this relationship would be mediated by sexual prejudice. To test the predictions, 256 Italian heterosexual participants were asked to answer to a scale about their beliefs regarding the aetiology of sexual orientation, sexual prejudice, and attitudes towards adoption by same-sex couples. Results confirmed that the relationship between aetiology beliefs and adoption support was fully mediated by sexual prejudice. These investigation results suggest that the belief that sexual orientation is controllable may serve to justify one’s prejudice and, in turn, result in a lower support for same-sex couples’ adoption.

scholarly journals Reading DeBoer and Obergefell through the “Moral Readings Versus Originalisms”. Debate: from Constitutional “Empty Cupboards” to Evolving Understandings

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda C. McClain
Keyword(s):  
Gay Men ◽  
Fourteenth Amendment ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Same Sex Marriage ◽  
Original Intent ◽  
Majority Opinion ◽  
Same Sex Couples ◽  
Civil Marriage ◽  
Sex Equality ◽  
Historical Practices

This essay assesses the debate over “moral reading” and “originalist” approaches to constitutional interpretation, as elaborated in James E. Fleming, Fidelity to Our Imperfect Constitution: For Moral Readings and Against Originalism (2015), by evaluating the recent, momentous constitutional controversy in the United Sates of America over access by same-sex couples to civil marriage. Justice Kennedy’s landmark majority opinion in Obergefell v. Hodges (2015), which held that such couples have a fundamental right to marry, employed a “moral reading” in emphasizing evolving understandings of constitutional guarantees of equality, the “promise of liberty” and the institution of marriage. By contrast to the dissenters, the majority rejected a static, narrow reading of the fundamental right to marry —and marriage— and stressed the role “insight” and generational progress. Evolving understanding played a similar role in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health (2013), which provided a template for Kennedy’s rejection of a narrow originalism focused only on historical practices or original intent. Such moral readings of the Constitution have played a significant role in making the Fourteenth Amendment less of (in Justice Ginsburg’s words) an “empty cupboard” for gay men and lesbians, just as they have played a role in making it less empty in the context of sex equality. This essay demonstrates how the contrasting approaches to interpretation in the majority and dissenting opinions in DeBoer v. Snyder (reversed by Obergefell) previewed the interpretive battle between the Obergefell majority and dissents, but with the sides reversed. It then observes that, while some legal scholars offered, in amicus briefs filed in Obergefell, originalist arguments for same-sex marriage, such arguments persuaded neither other originalist scholars nor the Obergefell dissenters.

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