Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. We found that nearly all young adults adhere to dominant relationship values inherent in the romantic love ideology; however, we found modest but significant differences by gender and sexual identity in relationship values.
Significant interactions demonstrated that gender and sexual identity intersect to uniquely influence relationship views. One of the most important life-course events of young adulthood is the formation of intimate relationships. With changes in the social context and heightened public interest in and debate about same-sex relationships, we take stock of the relationship views that a new generation of young adults holds. Are the relationship values of heterosexuals and sexual minorities similar or different?
Do gender and sexual identity intersect to shape relationship values? Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health Add Health , we assess relationship values by gender and sexual identity among 18 β 28 year olds. In what follows, we first review past research on relationship values as well as relevant gender and relationship theories.
Based on this work, we develop hypotheses about similarities and differences in relationship values by gender and sexual identity. Next, we describe our data source, measurement techniques, and method of analysis. Finally, we present our results and discuss the implications of our findings. This suggests that young women adhere to traditional relationship values more than young men. Yet, women still ranked ambitiousness more highly than men, suggesting a slightly higher value on characteristics that foretell financial security.
Regarding status traits of potential partners, past research has shown that among adults, women emphasize intellect, employment, and financial status in desired companion characteristics whereas men emphasize physical attributes Davis, Although not about mate preferences, other research has shown that female youth are more accepting than male youth of interracial contact through friendships, neighborhoods, and work e.
