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Commitment Without Marriage: Union Formation Among Long-Term Same-Sex Couples.

Corinne Reczek¹, Sinikka Elliott, Debra Umberson

¹The University of Texas at Austin.

Journal of Family Issues

|September 28, 2011

Summary

Many gay and lesbian couples form long-term committed relationships without marriage or public ceremonies. Their unique histories shape alternative union formation trajectories outside of traditional marriage norms.

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Area of Science:

Sociology
Family Studies
Relationship Science

Background:

Marriage is a significant life transition and commitment symbol for many Americans.
Legal marriage is inaccessible to some individuals, particularly same-sex couples.
Previous research suggests commitment ceremonies are used to formalize same-sex unions.

Purpose of the Study:

To examine union formation and commitment-making histories of gay and lesbian couples in long-term partnerships.
To understand how same-sex couples conceptualize and form committed relationships without legal marriage.
To explore alternative trajectories of commitment making outside of normative marriage.

Main Methods:

In-depth interviews with gay and lesbian individuals in long-term partnerships.
Application of a life course perspective, emphasizing historical and biographical contexts.
Analysis of relationship formation, conceptualization, and commitment processes.

Main Results:

Long-term same-sex couples do not follow normative commitment-making trajectories toward marriage.
Union formation and commitment can occur ambiguously, without marriage, public ceremony, or a clear decision.
The unique social, historical, and biographical contexts of same-sex couples influence their relationship formation.

Conclusions:

Commitment making outside of marriage can be ambiguous and non-normative for same-sex couples.
Alternative forms of union making exist beyond traditional marriage structures.
Findings have implications for theorizing diverse relationship formations and commitment processes.