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Young Adult Relationship Values at the Intersection of Gender and Sexuality

Year: 2009

Type: article

Abstract: Recent decades have brought significant social changes in the industrialized West that may influence young adults' attitudes about intimate relationships, including changes in gender expectations and behaviors and changes in sexual attitudes and practices. We used data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health (N=14,121) to compare men to women, and sexual minorities to heterosexuals, on ratings of the importance of love, faithfulness, commitment, financial security, and racial homogamy for successful relationships. We found that nearly all young adults adhere to dominant relationship values inherent in the romantic love ideology; however, we found modest but significant differences by gender and sexual identity in relationship values. Significant interactions demonstrated that gender and sexual identity intersect to uniquely influence relationship views.

Source: Journal of Marriage and the Family

DOI: 10.1111/j.1741-3737.2009.00616.x

Authors: Ann Meier, Kathleen E. Hull, Timothy A. Ortyl

Institution: University of Minnesota

Language: English

Topic: Family Dynamics and Relationships

Subfield: Demography

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Gender equality

Open Access status: green

Funder: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development