Comparing same- and different-sex relationship dynamics: Experiences of young adults in Taiwan

Abstract

BACKGROUND Few studies of same-sex relationships are able to capture the dynamics of these relationships from formation to dissolution, and even fewer provide evidence on these dynamics in a non-Western context. OBJECTIVE Using retrospective relationship history data collected from a nationally representative sample of young adults, this study compares the processes of forming and terminating relationships between same-and different-sex couples in Taiwan, an Asian society featuring both strong parental influences on children's mate selection and an ongoing legislative effort to legalize same-sex marriage. RESULTS Results from event history models show that factors associated with relationship formation and dissolution are largely similar for same-and different-sex unions and that same-sex relationships do not have higher dissolution rates. Nevertheless, premarital coresidence with parents, which is likely to amplify parental influences on children's mate selection, deters the entry into and accelerates the dissolution of same-sex relationships more than it does different-sex relationships. Moreover, same-sex relationships are more heterogamous in family economic background, but more homogamous in age and education level, than different-sex ones.

Do same-sex unions dissolve more often than different-sex unions? Methodological insights from Colombian data on sexual behavior

“…We innovated by using measures of sexual practice from the DHS 2015 to show how conclusions differ depending on how same-sex unions are identified. When solely using information on the sex of partners, the stability of same-sex unions appeared very similar to that of different-sex cohabiting unions; a result also observed for the United States and Taiwan (Ketcham and Bennett 2019;Lin, Yu, and Su 2019;Manning, Brown, and Stykes 2016;Rosenfeld 2014). However, same-sex unions of individuals who ever had sex with someone of the same sex were much less stable than different-sex unions.…”

“…Previous research provides inconclusive answers, and these might differ depending on the country studied. In the United States (Manning, Brown, and Stykes 2016) and Taiwan (Lin, Yu, and Su 2019), there are no notable differences in the dissolution rates of same-sex and different-sex cohabiting unions. At the same time, same-sex unions are relatively more likely to dissolve than different-sex cohabiting unions in countries such as the Netherlands (Kalmijn, Loeve, and Manting 2007) and the United Kingdom (Lau 2012).…”

Stability and relevance of marriage desires: Importance of age norms and partnering opportunities

“…Moreover, although there is no valid data on the proportion of same-sex oriented people in Japan, a study using a representative sample from Osaka, a major city in Japan, finds just 2.1% of the respondents who identified themselves as gay, lesbian, or bisexual (Hiramori & Kamano, 2020). This number is somewhat comparable to the percentages of same-sex couples reported in Britain, United States, and Taiwan, which range from 2% to 5% (Lin et al, 2019). The fact that the proportion of same-sex oriented people in our sample is likely to be small also makes us think that our inclusion of them would not affect the study's conclusions.…”

Examining the Relationship between Gender Contentedness and Sex-Related Experiences among Taiwanese Youth

“…Entering and existing romantic relationships are sometimes influenced by parental factors [35]. Taiwanese parents with a conservative attitude toward diverse gender identities may impose stress and restrain the freedom to select a partner among their sexually minor children [36,37].…”