Choices in Relationships

1
Choices in Relationships

• Chapter Six Singlehood and Same-Sex
  Relationships

2
Single Lifestyle

• Social Movements and Single Lifestyle
• Though over 95 percent of U.S. adults eventually
  marry, more people are delaying marriage and
  living the single lifestyle.
• In effect, there is a new wave of youth who feel
  that their commitment is to themselves in early
  adulthood and to marriage in their late 20s and
  30s, if at all.

3
Single Lifestyle

• Categories of Singles
• Never-Married Singles
• Divorced Singles
• Widowed Singles

4
Single Lifestyle
5
Single Lifestyle

• Singlehood as a Lifestyle Choice

6
Single Lifestyle

• Is Singlehood for You?
• Although singlehood offers freedom, single people
  are sometimes challenged by such issues as
  loneliness, less money, and establishing an
  identity.
• Singlehood and HIV Infection Risk
• Unmarried individuals who are not married or not
  living with someone are at greater risk for
  contracting HIV and other STDs.

7
Single Parenthood

• Single Mothers by Choice
• Bock (2000) noted that single mothers by choice
  (SCMs) are, for the most part, in the middle to
  upper class, mature, well-employed, politically
  aware, and dedicated to motherhood.

8
Single Parenthood
Challenges Faced by Single Parents

• Negative life outcomes for the child in a
  single-parent family
• Guardianship
• Prenatal care
• Absence of a father

• Responding to the demands of parenting with
  limited help
• Adult emotional needs
• Adult sexual needs
• Lack of money

9
Intentional Community Living Twin Oaks

• Twin Oaks is one such community of ninety adults
  and fifteen children living together on 450 acres
  of land in Louisa, Virginia.
• Known as an intentional community, the commune
  was founded in 1967 and is one of the oldest
  nonreligious intentional communities in the
  United States.

10
Same-Sex Relationships

• The Nature of Sexual Orientation
• The term sexual orientation refers to the
  direction of ones thoughts, feelings, and sexual
  interactions toward members of the same sex, the
  other sex, or both sexes.

11
Same-Sex Relationships
12
Same-Sex Relationships

• The Prevalence of Homosexuality, Heterosexuality,
  and Bisexuality
• Because of embarrassment, a desire for privacy,
  or fear of social disapproval, many individuals
  are not willing to answer questions about their
  sexuality honestly.

13
Same-Sex Relationships

• The Origins of Sexual Orientation Nature or
  Nurture?
• Biological Origins of Sexual Orientation
• Environmental Explanations of Sexual Orientation

14
Gay Relationships

• Gay Male Relationships
• Common stereotypes of gay men include
• that they do not develop close, intimate
  relationships with their partners
• gay men do not seek monogamous long-term
  relationships.
• same-sex couples (male or female) adopt husband
  and wife roles

15
Gay Relationships

• Lesbian Relationships
• Like many heterosexual women, most gay women
  value stable, monogamous relationships that are
  emotionally as well as sexually satisfying.
• Bisexual Relationships
• Contrary to the common myth that bisexuals are,
  by definition, nonmonogamous, some bisexuals
  prefer monogamous relationships (especially
  considering the widespread concern about HIV).

16
Gay Relationships

• Sexual Orientation and HIV Infection
• Most worldwide HIV infection occurs through
  heterosexual transmission.
• Women who have sex exclusively with other women
  have a much lower rate of HIV infection than men
  (both gay and straight) and women who have sex
  with men.

17
Heterosexism, Homonegativity, Homophobia, and
Biphobia

• Heterosexism
• Heterosexism refers to the denigration and
  stigmatization of any behavior, person, or
  relationship that is not heterosexual.
• Heterosexism says that to be heterosexual is
  good to be homosexual is bad.

18
Heterosexism, Homonegativity, Homophobia, and
Biphobia

• Homonegativity and Homophobia
• Homonegativity, the construct that refers to
  antigay responses, is multidimensional and
  includes negative feelings, thoughts, and
  behavior.
• Homophobia refers to emotional responses toward
  and aversion to homosexuals.

19
Heterosexism, Homonegativity, Homophobia, and
Biphobia

• Biphobia
• Refers to negative attitudes and emotional
  responses and discriminatory behavior toward
  bisexuals.
• Lesbians seem to exhibit greater levels of
  biphobia than do gay men. This is because many
  lesbian women associate their identity with a
  political stance against sexism and patriarchy.

20
Discrimination against Homosexual and Bisexual
Relationships

• Discrimination in Marriage and Family
  Relationships
• The rights afforded married heterosexuals but
  denied pair-bonded homosexuals who love and care
  for each other are numerous

• child custody
• confidentiality of conversations
• crime victims recovery benefits
• domestic violence protection
• family leave to care for sick partner

• assumption of spouses pension
• automatic housing lease transfer
• automatic inheritance
• bereavement leave
• burial determination

21
Discrimination against Homosexual and Bisexual
Relationships

• Discrimination in Child Custody, Visitation, and
  Adoption Rights
• Two grounds are typically used.
• The first, presumes the parent to be unfit
  merely based on the existence of same-sex
  orientation. Lesbian mothers are thought to be
  unfit parents, emotionally unstable, or unable
  to assume a maternal role

22
Discrimination against Homosexual and Bisexual
Relationships

• The second ground is the nexus approach, which is
  used to deny custody to homosexual parents on the
  basis of their being a negative influence on the
  sexual development of the child, the social
  stigmatization of the child who is being parented
  by homosexual parents, and the potential sexual
  molestation of children by homosexual parents.

23
Coming Out to Family Members

• Coming Out to Ones Spouse and Children
• Coming out can be an emotionally charged
  experience.
• Feelings associated with coming out may include
• Fear
• Humiliation
• Shame
• Embarrassment
• Intimidation

• Nervousness
• Frustration
• Shock
• Loneliness

24
Coming Out to Family Members

• Coming Out to Ones Parents
• Deciding whether to tell ones parents of ones
  homosexuality is very difficult.
• In general, young adults are more likely to come
  out to mothers than to fathers.
• Parental reaction to a childs disclosure of
  homosexuality is diverse and may not follow the
  assumed shock, denial, and isolation pattern.