Publication Type: Poster
Abstract: Domestic abuse occurs within heterosexual and homosexual populations. However, interpersonal violence may be more believable in heterosexual couples, particularly when the victim of abuse is a female (Messerli & Russell, in press). This research investigated the hypothesis that couples in same-sex relationships would be least likely to be believed that they were the victim of repeated abuse compared to heterosexual couples. We also expected that participant sex and homophobia would play a role in these beliefs. Participants included 374 individuals (244 females and 130 males). A 2 (participant sex) X 2 (sexual orientation of the couple) X 2 (high or low homophobia) ANOVA was conducted with belief that the defendant experienced repeated abuse as the dependent variable of interest. Results found a significant homophobia by participant sex interaction that showed that male participants with low rates of homophobia were most likely to believe the defendant was a victim of repeated abuse compared to females low in homophobia or males and females high in homophobia

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Multiple studies suggest that children benefit by being raised in families where the child’s biological parents are married to each other. Examinations of academic outcomes, deviant behavior, and sexual behavior all show that children in two biological parent families do better than children in stepfamilies or single-parent families. Explanations for why these patterns exist, however, are less well outlined. Popular explanations include the idea that mothers and fathers bring unique characteristics and parenting styles to families, and children in single-parent or same-sex parenting models will face deficiencies because they lack a parent of one gender. Other explanations, however, focus on the number of parents, arguing that parents of any gender are hard-pressed to provide for all of a child’s needs on their own. Of particular interest is how adolescents raised by gay parents might shed light on these competing explanations. Comparisons across explanations have been hampered by scholars’ inability to compare various family types. In this study, we provide the first empirical analysis using national representative data that compares adolescents from these various family types on several different social outcomes. We utilize data from the National Survey of Adolescent Health (AddHealth) to compare a variety of academic and behavioral outcomes across seven family types: two-parent biological, single mother, single father, father/stepmother, mother/stepfather, two gay male parents, and two lesbian parents. Comparisons across these family types show that adolescents raised by gay and lesbian parents typically behave more like youth in two parent biological families, providing little support for gendered-deficit theories.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: While there is evidence of a relationship between cultural factors and fertility among Mexican origin individuals living in the U.S., much less is known about the association between cultural characteristics and contraceptive use. In this paper, I explore the relationship between cultural factors and contraceptive use among first generation Mexican immigrants at the couple level using a unique data set, Donato and Kanaiaupuni’s Health and Migration Survey. I examine the couple as an interacting dyad, whose characteristics function in relation to one another to predict contraceptive use. Previous research has noted the importance of studying couple matters in this way; however, there has been no examination to date of cultural characteristics at the couple level. In preliminary analyses, I discover that the couple-level measures I create to predict fertility do not perform better than individual-level variables. Instead, it appears that different individual-level husband and wife characteristics better explain couple’s contraceptive use. Of all my measures, however, wife’s generation and English use are the most important predictors of contraceptive use.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Much recent research has examined the relative income of husbands and wives in American couples, largely focusing on the implications of spouses’ earnings for marital power, the household division of labor, and divorce. That research which does explore the nature and prevalence of particular earnings patterns does so in a static manner, neglecting the dynamic nature of both individual earnings and family income. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Youth, I examine wives’ proportional contributions to couples’ income both within single years and across a period of two to five years, also examining variation based on race, class, and parental status. I find that an enduring female income advantage is far less common than a temporary economic differential favoring wives, indicating that cross-sectional analyses do not fully address the dynamic nature of the economic contributions of spouses in contemporary American marriages.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: This paper contrasts the orientations and attitudes of the female partners of work-devoted men in two countries: the US and Norway. I present findings based on in-depth interviews with both members of twenty professional couples in the two countries. Two patterns corresponding to the two countries are identified: an American pattern in which the women adopt a more deferential stance about their partner's engrossment in his work and a Norwegian pattern in which the women make claims on their partners' time and attention. Complementary patterns are also identified with respect to the male partners themselves. The American men express an intransigence with respect to their work investment which contrasts with the more accommodationist stance of the Norwegian men.