Post by Kender on Jul 26, 2005 13:25:58 GMT -5
I'm reading my sociology textbook (don'tcha love homework?) and some stuff in here may be of interest to some:
On the subject of gay marriage: it has been legal in Denmark since 1989 and in Norway since 1993. (Mohr 1996, 104) Preliminary stats from Denmark indicate a 17% divorce rate for homosexuals compared to 46% for heterosexuals.
Why the difference?
1. They tend to be older and have spent more time living together than their heterosexual counterparts.
2. They face considerable hostility - even in Denmark - and thus those who decide to marry are highly motivated to stay together. No Britany Spears "oops, I didn't mean to get married" cases.
3. In Denmark, considerably more men than women opt for same-sex marriage, and "it appears that homosexuals follow the heterosexual pattern of women more likely initiating divorce than men". 14% of Norwegian gay marriages end in divorce compared to 23% for Lesbians. (Jones 1997)
Another piece of information regarding our own country: While some employers do offer some of the medical benefits normally available to family members...a significant disadvantage is that unless the partner qualifies as a dependent...those benefits are not tax free, as they are for family members. (Whitaker 1997)
Source cited in article/post:
Marlan M. Jones, "Lessons from Gay Marriages," Psychology Today, 30 (May/June 1997).
Richard D. Mohr. "Prejudice and Homosexuality"
Barbara Whitaker. "Partner Benefits Have a Surprising Lack of Takers", New York Times. (April 27, 1997)
The article in the textbook, of course, cites many other sources....but I'm too lazy to type the whole article, or all of the sources, especially since I only referred to parts of it.
On the subject of gay marriage: it has been legal in Denmark since 1989 and in Norway since 1993. (Mohr 1996, 104) Preliminary stats from Denmark indicate a 17% divorce rate for homosexuals compared to 46% for heterosexuals.
Why the difference?
1. They tend to be older and have spent more time living together than their heterosexual counterparts.
2. They face considerable hostility - even in Denmark - and thus those who decide to marry are highly motivated to stay together. No Britany Spears "oops, I didn't mean to get married" cases.
3. In Denmark, considerably more men than women opt for same-sex marriage, and "it appears that homosexuals follow the heterosexual pattern of women more likely initiating divorce than men". 14% of Norwegian gay marriages end in divorce compared to 23% for Lesbians. (Jones 1997)
Another piece of information regarding our own country: While some employers do offer some of the medical benefits normally available to family members...a significant disadvantage is that unless the partner qualifies as a dependent...those benefits are not tax free, as they are for family members. (Whitaker 1997)
Source cited in article/post:
Marlan M. Jones, "Lessons from Gay Marriages," Psychology Today, 30 (May/June 1997).
Richard D. Mohr. "Prejudice and Homosexuality"
Barbara Whitaker. "Partner Benefits Have a Surprising Lack of Takers", New York Times. (April 27, 1997)
The article in the textbook, of course, cites many other sources....but I'm too lazy to type the whole article, or all of the sources, especially since I only referred to parts of it.
