Gift-giving among gay men: the reification of social relations

Previous work on gift-giving has shown the economic and social importance of this activity, ways in which it may reflect social relations, and characteristics of good and bad gift exchanges. This study examined gay gift-giving experiences to determine whether some of the propositions based almost exclusively on heterosexual data needed reinterpretation to be relevant to the homosexual community. It was found that, compared to previous research on gift-giving between heterosexual partners, gay males devoted more attention to selection or creation of gifts and they were also more concerned about the recipient's appreciation and utilization of the gift. On the other hand, they were less concerned with economic equity in the exchange process. These findings have implications for products offered as gifts as well as gift promotions that would be most suitable for this market.