No / The family as a social institution is often said to be undergoing rapid change or even crisis. Commentary in the media and by policy-makers sometimes claims a `breakdown¿ of the family, asserting that intimate ties of loving and caring are becoming more individualised and self-centred, even selfish. Some scholars see this as part of a broader process whereby traditional social ties such as class, religion and family are fading away. Instead, they argue, people are `compelled to choose their own biographies¿ and personal relationships are being individually and actively chosen from a diverse range of possibilities. Statistically speaking, marriage is decreasing in popularity, whilst living alone, cohabitation and births outside marriage are increasing. But what do trends like this mean? Does this mean `family breakdown¿ or, as much in-depth family research has argued, just that the outward form of families is changing but the inner core - the value people attach to their family relationships ¿ remains central? This project tried to answer this question by examining the British public¿s attitude to different family relationships and parenting arrangements. It looked particularly at cohabitation and marriage, partnering, divorce, solo living, living apart together, same sex relationships and friends.

This study explores how same sex couples in Sweden, a country with strong gender equality policies and discourses understand their lives and relationships. Central to the study is the analysis of the tensions between a public discourse favoring openness for lesbians, gays, and bisexuals and a lack of acknowledgment of non-heterosexual family practices; as well as the tensions between gender equality policies and discourses and the specific construction of same sex couples. The study is grounded in a feminist and queer perspective and inspired by narrative analysis. Furthermore, it uses an intersectional perspective in which different axes of power are seen as mutually constituted. Interviews were conducted with same sex couples, both individually and together, in which the following topics were addressed: intimacy, division of household labor, domestic decision-making, conflict resolution, and the social context in which the couples live. One part of the study analyzes the economic foundations upon which the couples live and how income and possessions are organized within their relationship. This study shows that income and status are key questions for studying equality within same sex couples. The analysis is concerned with the tensions generated by the partners' class position as well as the negotiations which occur between the couple. It becomes apparent that the equality as an ideal is difficult to attain in practice. Even same sex partners are forced to relate to household labor as gendered practices. The interviewees describe their couple relationship and everyday life within heteronormative discourses. Through their stories, the interviewed couples give a view of the way in which everyday experiences of heteronormative confrontations affect the construction of their relationship. This study also indicates that same sex couples are neither more equal nor less conflict laden than heterosexual couples, even if they position themselves in relation to heterosexual couples as anti-role models. When the interviewees position themselves in relation to heterosexual couples they simultaneously embody the ideal of the gender equality discourse and the norms of being an ideal couple.

Civil Partnership is significant because its availability indicates that social attitudes about sexual minorities have altered dramatically over the past two decades (Weeks 2007: 3, Shipman and Smart 2007). At one time, social attitudes labelled people’s attractions to persons of the same sex as ‘abnormal’, and resulting same-sex relationships were expected to be invisible and conducted in private (Plummer 1975, Weeks 1977, Rich 1980). These expectations have changed, to such an extent, that it is now rather common to view same-sex and opposite-sex relationships as the ‘same’ and equally worthy of recognition and rights (Weeks 2007, Heaphy et al. 2013).This project explored what (if any) impact inhabiting this contemporary socio-cultural and historical climate is having on the everyday lives of sexual minorities. Finch’s (2007) concept of ‘display’ was employed as a conceptual lens to explore the ‘narratives’ that 42 civil partners aged 30 to 65 told about displaying their non-heterosexual orientation and same-sex relationship in encounters with others. I argued that if these more liberal attitudes had impacted on their lives it should be discernible from the personal stories they told about the interactions they had with one of six different audiences (e.g. self, couple, family, friends, acquaintances and strangers).Three main findings and arguments were formed from my analysis of these civil partners’ narratives. First, despite the remarkable changes in social attitudes towards sexual minorities, the stories my interviewees told illustrated that there is a generational difference in terms of the impact that these more liberal attitudes have been able to have on the ways that they display their non-heterosexual orientation and relationship. Essentially, these social attitudes have noticeably influenced the lives that younger generations are able to lead. Second, my use of ‘display’ as a conceptual lens to examine interviewees’ narratives has illuminated how the stigmatizing spotlight attached to non-heterosexual orientation and same-sex relationships has diminished over time. This was signalled by how narrators approached the display of their non-heterosexual orientation and their same-sex relationship. Third, ‘display’ as a conceptual lens has been significant for illuminating the challenges and negotiations involved in displaying a civil partnership and, I argued, is able to offer a more nuanced understanding of the continuing salience of the heterosexual assumption in an ‘era of equality’.

Thesis (M. A. (Clinical Psychology)) -- University of Limpopo, 2016 / The South African constitution makes provision for the rights of gays and lesbians, and has legalized same-sex relationships. However, many people, including students in same-sex relationships continue to be harassed and maltreated. The purpose of this study was to examine the attitudes of first entering students towards same-sex relationships at the University of Limpopo. A sample of 100 students (first entering students= 50, final level students = 50; with ages ranging from eighteen to forty five years), with a total number of twenty five (25) students drawn each of the four faculties at the university were selected using a convenience sampling method. Data was collected using the Homophobia Scale comprising of 25 close-ended questions which focus on behavioural, affective and cognitive attitudes towards gays and lesbians. Data were analysed using nominal data analysis and interpreted using the Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS) software. The study results revealed that fifty two percent (52%) of first entering students at the University of Limpopo have negative attitudes towards same-sex relationships with seventy four percent (74%) of first-entering students having no knowledge regarding same-sex relationships. Seventy three percent (73%) of participants behave negatively towards people in same-sex relationships. The study is concluded by recommending that more similar studies that include larger sample of students from different universities and different racial backgrounds be conducted. The results of the study have implications for the University of Limpopo in when it comes to understanding and promoting knowledge about same-sex relationships.

No description available.

Intimate relationships function not in isolation, but within a broader social network and social environment, in which the opinions and actions of close network members can play a role in how a relationship develops. The current study investigated how perceiving support for one’s relationship (including same-sex and mixed-sex relationships) from friends and family is associated with not only relationship well-being, but also the mental and physical health of the individuals within the relationship. After establishing that social support specifically for a relationship was indeed a separate and unique construct as compared to more general social support for an individual, the study tested a hypothesized model using structural equation modeling, finding evidence for a model in which the association between support for a relationship and the health outcomes for an individual is fully mediated by relationship well-being. Relationship type (i.e., same-sex versus mixed-sex) was not a significant moderator, indicating that regardless of relationship type, individuals who perceive more support for their relationship are also more likely to report greater relationship satisfaction and better mental and physical health. Furthermore, participants provided data up to three times over a period of three years, allowing for an examination of how social support for a relationship functions as a predictor of relationship well-being and health outcomes over time. Perceived social support for a relationship at Time 1 was found to be a significant predictor of the rate of relationship dissolution over the course of the study as well as relational and health outcomes at later points in time. With respect to the source of support for the relationship, evidence was found that support from parents and friends both have associations with relationship outcomes, but these findings were inconsistent across analyses with support from parents having stronger associations in some analyses and support from friends having stronger associations in others. Reasons for these discrepancies are discussed, as well as theoretical implications concerning the role that perceived social support for relationships plays in the prediction of relationship well-being and mental and physical health. / Thesis (Ph.D, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2012-05-29 21:04:59.381

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / A partir da última década do século passado, muito embora alguns ordenamentos jurídicos tenham reconhecido os relacionamentos entre pessoas do mesmo sexo, conferindo-lhes alguns efeitos jurídicos, até hoje o padrão de heteronormatividade impede que estes alcancem a plena equiparação com o paradigma heterossexual. Os organismos internacionais de proteção aos direitos humanos já reconhecem certos patamares inerentes ao direito de liberdade à orientação sexual, muito embora ainda não se tenha alcançado à etapa da consagração do direito à vida afetiva e familiar. No entanto, a crescente internacionalização da vida contemporânea aumentou a estraneidade jurídica dos relacionamentos homoafetivos, cujo reconhecimento fora do Estado da constituição é muitas vezes recusado por argumentos que podem ser superados pela ótica convergente do Direito Transnacional promovendo a legitimidade do pleno reconhecimento transfronteiriço de todos os casamentos e parcerias entre pessoas do mesmo sexo validamente realizadas, como forma de garantir o respeito à cidadania cosmopolita inerente à dignidade dos indivíduos pertencentes a estas famílias. / Since the last decade of the 20th century some States have recognized legal effects to same-sex relationships, which conferred some internal legitimacy to homosexual minorities, although different-sex paradigms imbued in the legislation are still encroaching full recognition of freedom to sexual orientation. International human rights courts have also established certain standards of this fundamental right, but have stopped shortly of recognizing the human right to affective and familiar life, regardless sexual orientation. Meanwhile, the increasing internationalization of private life has promoted more multi-connected same-sex relationships, and such cross border recognition is resisted by arguments which can be surpassed by convergent epistemology of Transnational Law, which promotes full recognition of same-sex marriages and partnerships validly celebrated through enforcing cosmopolitan citizenship inherent to dignity of all family members, regardless sexual orientation.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / A partir da última década do século passado, muito embora alguns ordenamentos jurídicos tenham reconhecido os relacionamentos entre pessoas do mesmo sexo, conferindo-lhes alguns efeitos jurídicos, até hoje o padrão de heteronormatividade impede que estes alcancem a plena equiparação com o paradigma heterossexual. Os organismos internacionais de proteção aos direitos humanos já reconhecem certos patamares inerentes ao direito de liberdade à orientação sexual, muito embora ainda não se tenha alcançado à etapa da consagração do direito à vida afetiva e familiar. No entanto, a crescente internacionalização da vida contemporânea aumentou a estraneidade jurídica dos relacionamentos homoafetivos, cujo reconhecimento fora do Estado da constituição é muitas vezes recusado por argumentos que podem ser superados pela ótica convergente do Direito Transnacional promovendo a legitimidade do pleno reconhecimento transfronteiriço de todos os casamentos e parcerias entre pessoas do mesmo sexo validamente realizadas, como forma de garantir o respeito à cidadania cosmopolita inerente à dignidade dos indivíduos pertencentes a estas famílias. / Since the last decade of the 20th century some States have recognized legal effects to same-sex relationships, which conferred some internal legitimacy to homosexual minorities, although different-sex paradigms imbued in the legislation are still encroaching full recognition of freedom to sexual orientation. International human rights courts have also established certain standards of this fundamental right, but have stopped shortly of recognizing the human right to affective and familiar life, regardless sexual orientation. Meanwhile, the increasing internationalization of private life has promoted more multi-connected same-sex relationships, and such cross border recognition is resisted by arguments which can be surpassed by convergent epistemology of Transnational Law, which promotes full recognition of same-sex marriages and partnerships validly celebrated through enforcing cosmopolitan citizenship inherent to dignity of all family members, regardless sexual orientation.

Statistik visade att få män kontaktar någon form av samhällsinstans när de blivit utsatta för våld i en nära relation. Våldet anses likvärdigt i heterosexuella relationer som samkönade relationer, trots detta brister kunskapen om våld i samkönade relationer. Syftet med denna studie har varit att undersöka kring vilka eventuella föreställningar som råder i samband med samkönade relationer inom stödgivande samhällsinstanser. Vi valde att fokusera på våldsutsatta män. Studien innefattar åtta kvalitativa intervjuer med respondenter som arbetar inom stödgivande samhällsinstanser. Studiens teoretiska utgångspunkter utgick från ett genusperspektiv och queerteori. Resultatet har presenterats under avsnitt 5 under fyra teman vilka är “stödgivande samhällsinstansers bemötande”, “heteronormativa föreställningar kring våldsutsatta män”, “möjlighet till stöd och skydd” samt “outing och skam”. Resultatet visade att heteronormativa föreställningar kring våld i samkönade relationer kan påverka vilket stöd och skydd våldsutsatta män erbjuds. Avslutningsvis diskuterades det framtagna resultatet kring den bristande kunskap som föreligger kring våld i samkönade relationer och studiens slutsatser. Slutsatserna för studien var att det fanns ett heteronormativt synsätt hos vissa av de stödgivande samhällsinstanser vi intervjuat. Det har även framförts förslag till framtida forskning där vi vill att ämnet ska studeras mer utförligt. / Statistics show that very few men exposed to domestic violence, either in heterosexual or same-sex relationships, contact any social service. Although domestic violence is often restricted to being defined the same as heterosexual relationships as same-sex relationships, knowledge about violence in same-sex relationships is inadequate. The purpose of this study was to examine if any perception and understanding of violence in same-sex relationships exist within supporting community instances, focusing on male victims of domestic violence. The study containing eight qualitative interviews with respondents within supporting community instances. The result is presented under the themes “stödgivande samhällsinstansers bemötande”, “heteronormativa föreställningar kring våldsutsatta män”, “möjlighet till stöd och skydd” and “outing och skam”. To notice is that the result showed that perceptions about heteronormativity can affect which type of support and protection male victims of domestic violence is given. Lastly, a discussion about the developed result around the inadequate knowledge about violence in same-sex relationships will be held. The conclusions of the study were that there is a heteronormative approach within some of the supporting community instances we interviewed. There are also suggestions for future research and therefore needs to be studied at length.

Utgångspunkten inför studien är att våld i nära relationer inte sällan benämns som mäns våld mot kvinnor och syftar till att det är ett fenomen som främst förekommer inom heterosexuella relationer, där mannen framförallt ses som förövaren. Vi ser att våld i samkönade relationer därigenom riskerar att inte bli lika uppmärksammat. Från litteraturen går det att utläsa att det kan påverka tillgången till stöd och hjälp för personer som lever i våldsamma samkönade relationer. Vidare ser vi även att hbtq-personer, världen över, många gånger lever utan samma rättigheter som heterosexuella. Studien har som syfte att undersöka hur våld i samkönade relationer, uppbrott och bemötande kan uppfattas och beskrivas från personer som levt i en våldsam samkönad relation. Studiens material har samlats in från offentligt publicerade, personliga, berättelser på sociala forum, både internationellt och nationellt. Studiens resultat visade att våldet i en samkönad relation kan beskrivas på liknande sätt som våld i nära relation. Däremot framgick det i resultatet att målgruppen kan stå inför en specifik utsatthet till följd av samhällets struktur och normer. Denna aspekt återfanns i våldets olika uttryck, uppbrott och bemötande. Det är en aspekt som vanligtvis inte återfinns i våld i nära, heterosexuella, relationer. Ett annat resultat från studien var att hjälp- och serviceorganisationer inte ansetts vara behjälpliga och anpassade att bemöta målgruppen. Däremot framkom det att individuella professionella har ansetts behjälpliga i uppbrottet och tiden efteråt. Det återfanns även ett märkbart fenomen inom resultatet där män som är utsatta av våld tenderar stå utanför samhällets skyddssystem. Det framgick att mäns utsatthet, i sig, osynliggörs genom samhällets förutfattade meningar kring maskulinitet och mannens roll i samhället. Slutsatser från studien är att våld i samkönade relationer till stor del liknar det våld som återfinns i våld i nära relationer, men att det finns aspekter som skiljer sig. Dessa aspekter utgörs av hbtq-personers generella, och karaktäristiska, utsatthet i samhället och kan leda till att personerna blir dubbelt isolerade. Slutligen har vi även kunnat dra en slutsats om att heteronormen i ett samhälle kan bidra till att fenomenet blir obelyst. / Our prior view is that violence in close relationships is not often referred as men's violence against women and aims to be a phenomenon which mainly occurs in heterosexual relationships, where the man is the perpetrator. Therefore, violence in same sex relationships risks not being as well known. Based on the literature this may affect access to support and help for people living in violent same sex relationships. Furthermore, we also see that LGBTQ-people often live without same rights as heterosexuals. The aim of this study was to investigate how break-up and response regarding violence in same sex relationships can be perceived and described from people who have lived in a violent same sex relationship. The materials of the study have been collected from publicly published, personal, stories on social forums, both internationally and nationally. The results of the study show that violence in a same sex relationship can be expressed similarly as violence in a close relationship. However, the results showed that the target group can face a specific vulnerability as a result of the structure and norms of society. This aspect was found in various expressions, break-up and response of violence. It is an aspect usually not found in violence in close, heterosexual, relationships. Another result was that aid and service organizations were not considered helpful nor adapted to meet the target group. However, it emerged that individual professionals were considered helpful in the break-up and afterwards. There was also a noticeable phenomenon where men who were subjected to violence tend to be outside the social protection system. It appears that men's vulnerability is invisible through society's preconceived notions of masculinity and man's role in society. Conclusions drawn in the study are that violence in same sex relationships is similar to the violence found in close relationships, though there are aspects that differ. These aspects constitutes from LGBTQ-peoples general vulnerability in society and how it risks causing them to become doubly isolated. Finally, we have been able to conclude that the heteronorm can contribute to the phenomenon going unresolved.