Diversity and Satisfaction in Marriage and Cohabitation

1
Diversity and Satisfaction in Marriage and
Cohabitation
2
Diversity within Unions

• The need to acknowledge homosexual couples
• Research is biased but does provide some insight
• The problem in attaining a representative sample
• Some of the demographics on homosexual couples
  based on US research

3
Homosexuality and the Law

• The rate of change in sexual mores
• 1968 and its importance in our sexual history
  birth control, abortion, divorce.
• Non-heterosexual acts
• Since 1968...the challenge to many beliefs
  surrounding the family.
• The threat of these changes.

4
Homosexual Couples

• Face the same issues as heterosexual couples
• Face additional problems because of
  stigmatization
• Conferring of benefits- not automatic
• Social networks are identifying feature
• Are dynamics the same?

5
Custody and Access Issues

• Contesting custody in course prior to the 1970s.
• Fear of public exposure and making private
  arrangements.
• The Nexus Approach
• Homosexuality no longer a barrier to custody.

6
The Lesbian Baby Boom

• Increasing numbers of lesbians wanting to bear
  their own children
• The amount of those wishing for donor
  insemination is undetermined.
• Access as the first of many struggles.

7
Children in Homosexual Families

• Controversy still exists on the effect this has
  on children.
• The home life as being healthy.
• Lesbian mothers as psychologically healthy.
• Gay fathers as also being healthy and caring.
• Deciding to be a parent as a conscious choice.

8
Children cont...

• Children are not disadvantaged in any way
  according to all research.
• Psychological development is not negatively
  affected.
• Tasker and Golombok (1983)
• Social development and peer relations are also
  not negatively affected.

9
How marriage affects individuals

• Research on marriage and individual happiness
• Married or Single people who is happier?
• Two major explanations of marriage and
  well-being.

10
Differential effects gender

• Effects on men
• Effects on women
• The implication of his and her marriages

11
Mate selection?

• Multiple partners instead of one prior to
  marriage
• Cohabitation instead of marriage
• Marital interaction inegalitarian and
  egalitarian

12
Four structural types of marriage

• Owner/ Property Marriage
• Wife is property of the marriage
• 2. Head Complement Marriage
• - Women still left behind in the home providing
  to rest of the family

13
Marital structures cont

• 3. Senior Partner/ Junior Partner
• Describes a significant amount of couples today
• 4. Dual Career or Co-Provider Marriage
• - Characterizes over ½ of couples today

14
Marital or cohabitational satisfaction

• Five types of relationships that deal with
  relationship satisfaction
• 1. The conflict-habituated relationship
• 2. The devitalized relationship
• 3. The passive-congenial relationship
• 4. The reproductive-familial relationship
• 5. The vital and total relationship

15
Factors which drive marital bliss

• The concept of marital satisfaction
• Marital satisfaction, happiness and adjustment
• Three concepts measuring one idea
• Domestic division of labour, gender roles, etc

16
Marital satisfaction cont

• Indications of marital satisfaction over time
• Conflict within a marriage
• Gender differences in conflict

17
Marriage as high risk?

• No change in the level of happiness in couples
• Stress as a risk factor
• Intimacy as a buffer for stress in a marriage

18
Intimacy and stress cont

• The definition of intimacy
• Daily hassles in a marriage and its effect
• Intimacy as a buffer and mediator

19
Verbal disagreements and conflict cont

• Which is the cause and which is the effect?
• How the couple deals with conflict is the key
• The effect of family on marriage
• Conflict cont????