Homosexual couples shed light on power sharing in relationships

Darkfrog submitted, created time 1 year 3 weeks (www.nytimes.com)

When Vermont legalized gay marriage, psychologists jumped on the opportunity to study human relationships. About a thousand heterosexual and homosexual couples participated in a study on relationships.

In general, homosexual relationships were more egalitarian, whereas in heterosexual ones the women got a disproportionate amount of the housework (and initiating conversations about relationship upkeep) and the men got a disproportionate amount of the financial responsibility. In addition, the homosexual couples argued better. They were able to use humor and understanding to dispel the conflict and seemed to have an easier time understanding the other person's point of view. Heterosexual couples, in contrast, got more physically agitated (heart rate, etc.) and stayed that way longer.

So are they saying we should all be gay? Heck no. But it does shed light on what makes a healthy relationship. Marriage counselors are very interested in these results.

The study also turned up a few surprises. You know that thing where a woman says she's dissatisfied and her husband responds passive-aggressively by becoming more distant instead of more loving? That's not a female thing! Same-sex couples do it too!

Keywords: relationships lesbians social relationships gender sex relationships homosexuality heterosexuality passive-aggression marriage families politics conflict resolution humor gay men