Mormon Mixed-Orientation Marriages: Variations in Attitudes and Experiences by Sexual Orientation and Current Relationship Status

ABSTRACT

Interest in mixed-orientation marriages has been growing among both scholars and the general public. Members of conservative religions such as Mormonism may be particularly willing to enter a mixed-orientation marriage given the faith's emphasis on heteronormativity. Analyzing survey data from a sample of sexual minorities (n = 160) and heterosexuals (n = 80) who are or have been Mormon and in a mixed-orientation marriage, we explore variations in reasons for marriage, the disclosure experience, and levels of attraction and attitudes toward sex by current relationship status. Previously married sexual-minority individuals report more external pressure and belief their same-sex attraction might change as reasons to marry, as well as less desire for their spouses following disclosure. Currently married sexual-minority partners are less likely to report being counseled to marry, and report feeling more relief, approval, and desire in their relationship following disclosure. Currently married heterosexual spouses are more likely to report spiritual confirmation as a reason to marry, as well as more affection for and greater attraction to spouses, but also report feeling less secure about their attractiveness following disclosure. Previously married heterosexual individuals report the most negative feelings following disclosure, and stronger attitudes about the importance of sharing similar sexual interests, desire, and levels of attraction.     

A Family Matter

Abstract

The 2004 debate over civil marriage for same-gender couples highlights issues faced by mixed-orientation couples after one of the spouses comes out as gay, lesbian, or bisexual. The disclosure becomes a family matter as their spouses and children cope with the new information and antigay attitudes. The majority of couples divorce. A minority stays married for three years or more by developing strategies that enhance the relationship, offset outside pressures, and sustain the family circle. Peers provide the most support, while therapists are often unfamiliar with sexual orientation, mixed orientation couples, or societal attitudes that impact families with a gay, lesbian, or bisexual parent. This article provides that information so that professionals can help these couples improve the quality of their lives and develop skills to create a future in which homosexuality, same-gender relationships, and gay parenting are more widely accepted and legalized. This development would decrease the number of mixed-orientation marriages with closeted spouses and increase the potential for both types of families to form lasting marriages and strong family units.     

Marrying a Man with “Baggage”

Abstract

Cultural views of previously married men include the assumption that they bring ex-wives and children as “baggage” into subsequent marriages. Analysis of 274 questionnaires of second wives revealed that such baggage was significantly associated with reporting less marital happiness, thinking about divorce, and wishing that they had not married their current husband. Implications for women contemplating marriage to a previously married man include acknowledging the vulnerability of second marriages to marital instability, questioning if living together ensures subsequent marital success, delaying the marriage until issues settle out, and considering moving into a new home or apartment with the new spouse rather than having him move into her home.     

Same- and Other-Sex Aversion and Attraction as Important Correlates of Quality and Outcomes of Mormon Mixed-Orientation Marriages

Many studies have assessed characteristics of mixed-orientation marriages (MOM), unions between a gay, lesbian, bisexual, or queer/questioning (GLBQ) partner and a heterosexual spouse. In this study, experiences of physical and emotional other-sex attraction versus aversion were posited as important factors with implications for relationship outcomes. One-hundred-sixty-five GLBQ identifying individuals who were currently or formerly in MOMs and were currently or formerly members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS, Mormon) completed a measure of physical and emotional same- and other-sex attraction and aversion, as well as the Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale. Divorced or separated participants reported more other-sex physical aversion, physical aversion to the spouse, other-sex emotional aversion, same-sex emotional attraction, and less emotional attraction to the spouse. Higher other-sex attraction and attraction to the spouse were associated with better relationship quality for both men and women in intact marriages. For men only, same-sex attraction was related to worse marital relationship quality, and religiosity was moderately to strongly related to most indices of attraction/aversion. Interview data obtained from a subsample of participants further explored the unique challenges experienced by partners in their efforts to develop and maintain intimacy in MOMs.     

The Context of Spouse Migration to Australia

The article discusses five types of spouse migration. Data on the country of origin of migrant spouses and their sponsoring partners suggest that the largest component of spouse migration is chain migration for marriage, with previous immigrants sponsoring partners from their former home country. Other smaller components are sponsorship of spouses by the second generation from the parents' country of origin; sponsorship of foreign spouses by Australians for intermarriage; and family reunion of spouses separated by refugee movements. Spouse migration from English‐speaking or European countries is often motivated by a preference for Australia's climate or lifestyle rather than marriage to an Australian partner, unlike spouse migration from other parts of the world where the process is more closely related to marriage.     

The Co-Evolution of Marriage and Parental Rights of Gays and Lesbians

ABSTRACT

Historically, federal and state legislation placed different conditions on same- and opposite-sex couples' ability to marry, adopt, or exercise their parental rights. Given the historical intertwining of marriage and parenting, legal issues remain hinged on differing conceptions of marriage and what constitutes a legal family in the United States, especially for same-sex partners compared to their different-sexed couple counterparts. This article provides a historical review of decisions that serve as the foundation for queer parenting rights in the United States. A key focus is on the impact of the U.S. Supreme Court Obergefell v. Hodges (2015) marriage decision on queer parenting and its relevance to researchers and practitioners whose work involves queer families. State discrepancies continue to exist for the treatment of parental rights in spite of the legalization of same-sex marriage. Finally, suggestions are provided for future directions for the field.     

A New Marriage Squeeze for Black Women: The Role of Racial Intermarriage by Black Men

Recent declines in the rate of marriage among Black women have been accompanied by substantial increases in rates of interracial marriage, especially between Black men and non‐Black women. Explanations for the retreat from marriage among Black women have focused on deficits in the quantity and quality of available partners, and the role of racial intermarriage largely has been ignored. This study examines the impact of interracial marriage by Black men on the marriage prospects of Black women. First, our analysis of data from the 1990 Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS) reveals that intermarried Black men are selective of those with the highest levels of education, income, and occupational prestige. Second, multilevel analyses, using both the IPUMS and Panel Study of Income Dynamics, show that the level of intermarriage in metropolitan areas is significantly related to the marital behaviors of Black women. Local rates of intermarriage among Black men reduce the likelihood that Black women currently will be married and that they will make the transition to marriage. These effects are especially acute for highly educated Black women whose marriage markets are defined by those Black men who are most likely to intermarry. Finally, our analyses indicate that intermarriage affects the marital prospects of Black women by negatively affecting the pool of economically attractive marriage partners in the metropolitan area.     

Divorce and Remarriage in Norway: A Prospective Cohort Study Between 1981 and 2013

ABSTRACT

As the population of divorced adults has increased, the number of remarriages has followed. Previous research has mainly compared first-time marriages with remarriages, whereas this study analyzes 4 different constellations of marriages: first time for both spouses, first time for one and second time for the other, second time for both, and third time or more for at least one member of the couple. The analyses are based on data from all Norwegian 2-sex marriages formed from 1981 to 2013, for a total of more than 770,000 marriages. The findings indicate that remarried couples are considerably more prone to divorce compared to couples married for the first time, particularly marriages in which both partners are remarried and marriages in which at least one of the partners is married for the third time or more. The differences between the various groups of marriages decline with a longer duration of the marriage.     

Traumatic Childhood and Marriage

Abstract

This exploratory, qualitative study of 84 adults who have survived and transcended a traumatic childhood describes the role their spouses played in the process of rising above their difficult childhood experiences. The participants talked about what they were looking for in a spouse, negative marriage experiences, and the positive role spousal support played in transcending the traumatic childhood. The study of their lives reveals important insights into the role of marriage in the process by which people grow into healthy adults. These insights will be useful to people who work with couples in which one person is seeking to leave past difficulties behind.     

From Otherness to Alliance

Abstract

The first part of this article presents the epistemological evolution of the therapeutic frameworks regarding the treatment of transgender individuals and their partners. It outlines a medical approach and two others-the developmental approach and the deconstructive approach, ones not based on the conception of transgender identity as pathological. Two case studies of couples presenting with gender identity-related issues illustrate their application with particular emphasis on the relational process of gender identity formation and on partners of transgender-identified persons.     

First Ladies in the States

ABSTRACT

Observers have long speculated about the influence of first ladies. We offer a systematic examination of the political and private roles of the women who are married to the nation's governors. Using survey responses from governors' spouses, we found these women to be politically active in a variety of arenas. Though most governors' spouses sought to use the influence afforded by their position, the issues they choose to target remain within the realm of traditional women's issues. Additionally, the institutionalization of the political first lady as evidenced here indicates that these may be the first in a long line of publicly active political spouses.     

The Social Ecology of Marriage and Other Intimate Unions

This article provides an interdisciplinary framework for studying marital and other intimate relationships. Three levels of analysis are distinguished: (a) the society, characterized in terms of both macrosocietal forces and the ecological niches within which particular spouses and couples function; (b) the individual spouses, including their psychosocial and physical attributes, as well as the attitudes and beliefs they have about each other and their relationship; and (c) the marriage relationship, viewed as a behavioral system embedded within a larger network of close relationships. The discussion focuses primarily on the interplay between the spouses and their marriage, emphasizing the importance of distinguishing, both analytically and operationally, the individual from the dyadic (or group) levels of analysis. It is also argued that in order to appreciate how marriages work, social scientists must understand not only how these 2 levels of analysis interpenetrate each other but also how macrosocietal forces and the ecological niches within which couples live impinge on partners and their marital relationship.     

Cohort fertility of men and women in the Federal Republic of Germany. A measurement with data from empirical social research]

The availability of mates and the consequences for cohort fertility by sex in Germany is analyzed using pooled data from various fertility surveys conducted since 1900. "All German male cohorts born before 1930 have a greater number of children than their female counterparts. German men up to cohorts around 1930 experienced favourable conditions of the marriage market due to the consequences of the two World Wars....The general decline of births beginning around 1970 will, however, turn around this relative position. Leaving the preferred age-difference between spouses unchanged smaller female cohorts will now be able to select partners from greater (and older) cohorts of potential male partners. These changing relative positions are already visible in the differences between male and female cohort fertility." (SUMMARY IN ENG)     

Sexually Open Marriage

In this article the author describes sexually open marriage in the lives of 71 individuals. These persons make up three groups—persons in open relationships, persons divorced or separated after an open relationship and secondary partners of persons in open relationships—and are described as they experience their open relationships and then, two years later, as they evaluate the changes in their open sexual relationships. Similarities and differences among these three groups are discussed. In addition, this article looks at the ground rules that are established, jealousy issues and their management, and it discusses the role of equity and equality in sexually open relationships.     

Adult Children of Divorce Revisited

Abstract

The prevalence of families experiencing divorce has lead to an increase in studies examining the consequences of parental divorce for children and also for young adults. The literature, especially focusing on young adults, is characterized with inconsistent findings. The purpose of this study was to explore these young adults' accounts, their attitudes toward cohabitation, marriage, and divorce, their dating behavior, and trust and commitment issues for them. Results based on sixty in-depth interviews indicated that parental conflict, quality of parents' new relationship(s), and parents' supportiveness during and after divorce were important factors affecting these respondents' attitudes and behavior. Age at which divorce occurred seemed to affect trust and commitment the most.     

The Importance of Gifts in Marriage

In this article, a new element is introduced into the household production function: gifts. Gifts occur when spouses use their time and/or incomes to produce commodities that usually only have value to their spouse, such as empathy and understanding. The difficulty of identifying a potential mate's capacity to produce gifts prior to marriage and of negotiating for them during marriage is argued as having contributed to the increase in the divorce rate. Evidence is provided that women are the spouses most likely to seek a divorce and part of their motivation is an inadequate receipt of gifts during marriage.     

Spousal Communication,Power, and Contraceptive Use in Burkina Faso,West Africa

Abstract

In most developing countries, despite increased knowledge and approval of family planning, contraceptive use is still low. Lack of spousal communication was identified as an important explanatory factor in the low level contraceptive use by spouses. This study describes the pathways of influence between spousal communication, power, and contraceptive use in Burkina Faso, West Africaa high fertility country with low prevalence of contraceptive use. The Burkina Faso society is patriarchal in which husbands have control over sexual and fertility matters and they extend authority over their wives on these issues and, therefore, the power dimension of the spousal communication model needs clarification. The data source for this paper was the 2003 Burkina Faso Demographic and Health Survey. From the individual recode file, married respondents were selected for inclusion in the sample (n = 9,537) and for analysis. The independent variables were spousal communication and relative power. The dependent variables were contraceptive use and the effects of age, education, number of living children, wealth, and marriage types were adjusted for. Results show that education, wealth, place of residence, and religion are some of the correlates of inter-spousal communication about contraceptive use. Additionally, the data have revealed that spousal communication and marital power were important and significant predictors of contraceptive use, with relative marital power being the Stronger predictor of the two.     

Marriage‐Market Constraints and Mate‐Selection Behavior: Racial,Ethnic, and Gender Differences in Intermarriage

Despite theoretical consensus that marriage markets constrain mate‐selection behavior, few studies directly evaluate how local marriage‐market conditions influence intermarriage patterns. Using data from the American Community Survey, the authors examine what aspects of marriage markets influence mate selection, assess whether the associations between marriage‐market conditions and intermarriage are uniform by gender and across pan‐ethnic groups, and investigate the extent to which marriage‐market conditions account for group differences in intermarriage patterns. Relative group size is the most salient and consistent determinant of intermarriage patterns across pan‐ethnic groups and by gender. Marriage‐market constraints typically explain a larger share of pan‐ethnic differences in intermarriage rates than individual traits, suggesting that scarcity of co‐ethnic partners is a key reason behind decisions to intermarry. When faced with market constraints, men are more willing or more successful than women in crossing racial and ethnic boundaries in marriage.     

Factors That Explain Marital Happiness When a Spouse Lives in a Nursing Home: Married but Living Apart

ABSTRACT

Little attention has been given to factors that affect the marital happiness of well spouses when their partners reside in nursing homes. Using two established scales, a telephone survey of 60 community dwelling individuals whose spouses were being cared for in nursing homes across Ohio was conducted. Multiple regression analysis indicated factors that contributed to the degree of happiness in the marital relationship were the amount of time married and coping techniques associated with mobilizing resources, social support, and spiritual support. These variables accounted for 35% of the variance in participants' stated degree of happiness with their marital relationship.     

Young persons as epistemological agents in social work assessment and intervention

SummaryLiterature debates whether young persons' participation in social work decisions is tokenistic in nature or it empowers them to shape their world. By and large, young persons deemed at risk remain the targets of intervention. This paper aims to underscore the need to move beyond soliciting young persons' voice merely in order to corroborate information provided by adults and professionals in social work assessment and intervention. Instead, it explicates the philosophical foundation for social workers to treat young persons as knowledgeable agents capable of contributing to professional knowledge.FindingsThrough reinterpretation of a published case study on children of sex worker mothers in India, this paper highlights how young persons are active agents of their own lives even in extreme dire situations. These children of sex worker mothers were capable of advocating for their own rights as well as that of their mothers. Through the secondary analysis of data, we illustrated the dynamic process of knowledge construction by young persons.ApplicationBy paying attention to the young persons' capacity as knowledgeable agents we propose social workers to intentionally incorporate their knowledge in their practice.