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Sex roles within cohabiting relationships
American Journal of Psychoanalysis
|January 1, 1980
Summary
Unconventional relationships often mirror traditional gender roles in domestic labor and decision-making. This study suggests that even alternative relationship structures may not significantly depart from conventional marital patterns.
Area of Science:
- Sociology
- Family Studies
- Gender Studies
Background:
- Societal norms often dictate traditional gender roles within domestic labor and decision-making.
- The rise of unconventional relationship structures prompts inquiry into whether these deviate from established marital patterns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if unconventional male-female arrangements exhibit distinct patterns of domestic division of labor and decision-making compared to conventional marital arrangements.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of data from couples in three distinct relational structures.
- Comparison of domestic labor and decision-making patterns across these relationship types.
Main Results:
- Couples in quasi-conventional and cohabiting arrangements showed no significant departure from conventional patterns.
- Findings suggest that traditional attitudes towards male-female interaction may persist even in non-traditional relationships.
Conclusions:
- Unconventional relationship structures do not necessarily lead to a departure from traditional domestic division of labor and decision-making.
- Intellectual liberation may not always translate to emotional or behavioral shifts away from ingrained customs.