SOC101Y1 Lecture : Same-sex Marriage and Family
Document Summary
Basics: a long process to gain rights. New understanding of marriage: family as a new practice (functional aspect => emotional support) Functional reasons: reproduction for the next generation; children can"t stay with biological parents. This closely matches the 4% in the laumann et al. study: around 0. 5% of married and cohabitating couples are homosexual (statistics canada, 2002), and the proportion is very likely to be underestimated because only 1/3 self-reports as such. In canada, the 2001 census revealed that 15% of households headed by lesbian couples had children versus 3% among male same-sex households (statistics canada, 2002). The relationship between same-sex partners (ambert, 2005: gender-role is still much based on patriarchic ideology, which causes the conflict between husband and wife. Many lesbians/gays choose to live together without being committed to a lasting and exclusive relationship. No legal and social barriers encourage same-sex couples to stay together, while the contrary occurs for married couples.
