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The identity of stepmother is, in many ways, a troubled one – constructed as "other" and often associated with notions of "wickedness" in literature and everyday talk. This paper reports findings from a study on the difficulties faced by stepmothers and how they use talk about their (male) partners, often constructing men as hapless, helpless or hopeless, to repair their "troubled" identities. The data were collected from a web forum for stepmothers based in the UK and 13 semi-structured face-to-face interviews with stepmothers. The analysis took a synthetic narrative-discursive methodological approach, underpinned by feminist theory with particular attention to the discourses that were drawn on by participants and the constraints that these imposed. This paper presents these findings in relation to three constructions of their partners through which repair work was attempted: men as in need of rescue ; men as flawed fathers ; and men as damaged. The paper concludes with some suggestions for supporting stepmothers by challenging dominant narratives around families in talk, in the media and in government and institutional policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marriage is a cultural imperative in Sri Lanka and is constructed as the principal source of personal fulfilment for women. This paper critically examines through two case studies – a never-married woman and a woman in a “failed” marriage – how women from older generations narrate their life histories using culturally coherent repertoires. By deconstructing the subject positions of the “long-suffering wife”, the “devoted mother”, and the “selfless woman”, I reveal the spaces for manoeuvre these women create to experience well-being and exercise agency outside of the culture’s “hegemonic narrative” of successful marriage and maternity. Using the life history narratives I challenge the tendency to imagine older women’s lives as more constrained and illustrate the ways in which equivocal narratives about independence and self-sacrifice, about freedom and suffering simultaneously conceal agency while allowing non-normative ways of being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on feminist perspective on marriage. Historical diversity of heterosexual marriage; Public and private aspects of marriage.

Presents the author's personal, feminist response to heterosexual marriage in the context of an account of her own history, desires, and dilemmas. Influence of social context on the development of personal and political positions; Divorce of the author's parents; Author's hesitance to attend weddings of mere acquaintances; Perpetuation of sexual inequality and prioritization of certain ways of living.

Introduces a series of articles that explore the institution of marriage from a feminist viewpoint, featured in the November 2003 issue of journal 'Feminism & Psychology.' Personal and political experiences of heterosexual feminists and lesbians and gay men in relation to marriage; Debates around, and experiences of, marriage for lesbians and gay men.

The white wedding is a traditional ritual, governed by heteronormative conventions, which (re)produces stereotypical and patriarchal gender norms. In this study 10 white, South African, middle-class, heterosexual, newlywed couples were interviewed about their wedding ceremonies. The interviews were analysed using Parker's (2005) framework for discourse analytic reading. This helped us analyse two related discourses, the "fairy-tale" and "bride's day" discourse that allowed couples to justify gender unequal practices. The findings suggest that wedding discourses encourage (1) the objectification of women and their treatment in a benevolently sexist manner, (2) the unequal distribution of wedding labour between the bride and groom and, ultimately, (3) the perpetuation of women's subordination in heterosexual relationships. Participating in the rituals of the white wedding maintains taken-for-granted heteronormative discourses that undermine gender equality and, ultimately, women's emancipation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author discusses the issue of sexuality in Japanese heterosexual couples and the challenges faced by research on this issue. Research on several issues related to sexuality in Japan, such as married couples, love as well as the reasons for the lack of sexuality research are described. The need for researchers, both men and women to identify and analyze the values that they themselves have internalized is also highlighted.

Since their introduction in 2005, thousands of same-sex couples in the UK have had a civil partnership. However, many other couples have chosen not to have one. This qualitative study explores why some same-sex couples are choosing not to have a civil partnership. Seven semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 people (five couples and two individuals) who identified as lesbian, gay or bisexual, and analysed using discourse analysis. Participants’ accounts were characterised by ambivalence about civil partnership, and three main paradoxes were identified: the ‘good but not good enough’ paradox, the ‘unwanted prize’ paradox and the ‘legal rights v. social oppression paradox. A major source of ambivalence was support for rights but resistance to assimilation into dominant heteronormative cultural frameworks. Participants negotiated this ambivalence in a variety of ways, including considering how to have a civil partnership that is different from ‘marriage’, and adopting a pragmatic position. The analysis highlights the importance of social recognition and support for a range of relationship forms and identities, as well as for an ongoing critical debate about civil partnerships and same-sex marriage. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article presents the experiences of indifference in the planning of same-sex relationships. Evidences reveal that there is still a long way to go before same-sex marriages will be accepted and respected as equal to heterosexual marriages. Identical rights and benefits to that marriage becomes an issue since it is far from the way civil partnerships are treated.

Presents call for papers on feminist perspectives on marriage to be published in the journal 'Feminism & Psychology.'

Presents call for papers on lesbian and gay marriages to be published in the journal 'Feminism & Psychology.'

This article draws on interviews discussing relationships with 25 heterosexual women aged 20-87 from a variety of relationship status groups. Divorce was portrayed as a negative consequence of flawed individual skills and investments, reinforcing the marriage ideal and obscuring any advantages of this transition for the increasing numbers facing single-again life. Those interviewees who had been divorced did not endorse these attributions and negotiated their social lives around feedback from others employing these interpretations. The ways in which discourses of divorce reinforce dominant marital models of heterosexual relationships are examined alongside the implications of this for the growing population of single-again women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduces a special issue of the journal "Feminism & Psychology" that focuses on lesbian and gay marriage. British lesbian and gay lobbying group Stonewall's classification of the legal recognition of same-sex partnerships; Increase in the numbers of lesbian and gay couples choosing to celebrate their relationship in some sort of public and/or religious context.

Discusses the provisions of a civil partnership registration scheme for same-sex couples that was proposed by the British government in June 2003 in the context of the debates on same-sex marriage. Author's view of marriage; Feminism and the same-sex marriage debate; Legal implications of marriage; Ambiguous state of marriage.

Presents the author's reflections on marriage in contemporary China. Chinese view of marriage; Compulsory nature of the gendered rhetoric of marriage in China; State policies concerning the employment of women; Failure of the socialist ideal of equality in heterosexual marriages to hold true for women; Impact of the government's one-child policy on women.

Focuses on the contrasting views of lesbian, gay, and bisexual Christians in Great Britain on same-sex marriage. Perception of some lesbian, gay, and bisexual Christians that marriage is a problematic and dysfunctional social institution; Use of a heterosexual vocabulary and paradigm to frame efforts to legalize same-sex relationships.

Assesses developments in same-sex partnership legislation in Great Britain in the light of human rights activism, feminist and LGBT debates, and the authors' own decision to marry. Relevance of critiques of marriage; Usefulness to the government of the rebranding of marriage as civil partnership; Pragmatic argument behind the authors' decision to marry; Equality and human rights.

Explores two marital relationship self-help texts using critical feminist discourse analysis. Appeal that relationship self-help advice holds for female consumers; Texts' construction of gender as a set of natural dichotomies; Potential use of the rhetoric of such texts to voice dissatisfaction with inequality and to encourage change in a partner's behavior.

Presents the author's reflections on entering into a same-sex marriage in Canada. Enactment of a law in 1998 granting same-sex couples equivalent status to opposite-sex couples; Evolution of the institution of marriage; Media coverage generated by the couple's decision to take advantage of a process that would generate a legal government record of marriage for same-sex couples, the publication of banns.

Extends the debates about same-sex marriage by focusing on the situation in Argentina, and in Latin America generally. Ways in which lesbians and gay men in Argentina deal with their exclusion from the marriage institution; Economic and political arguments for same-sex marriage in Latin America.

Presents an edited version of a tape-recorded conversation between the authors on the political pros and cons of civil partnership for lesbian and gay male relationships in general, and in reference to the authors' relationship in particular. Complexities of civil partnership; Rituals of recognition; Practicalities of partnership ceremonies.

Explores talk about marriage in heterosexual women's accounts of their personal relationships. Women's construction of unmarried status as a temporary stage, preparatory to marriage, or the consequence of failure to maintain heterosexual relationships; Women's tendency to see themselves as responsible for the ending of past relationships; Influence of heterosexism and ageism on women's views of marriage.

Presents a feminist heterosexual couple's views towards the institution and practice of marriage. Divergent experiences of the man and the woman concerning their parents' marriages; High regard given by the woman's parents to the institution of marriage; Couple's efforts to reduce the patriarchal overtones of the marriage service; Centralization of love and respect in the relationship.

Explains the author's ambivalence towards marriage. Author's heterosexual feminist sensibilities; Author's previous disavowal of marriage as a patriarchal institution that sustained hierarchical relations between women and men; Legal entitlements and protections that married people enjoy; Implications of marriage for individual identity.

Introduces articles that offer feminist perspectives on marriage, featured in the November 2003 issue of journal 'Feminism & Psychology.' State of marriage in Great Britain; Feminists' skepticism towards the promotion of marriage by church and state; Division of labor and household responsibilities; Evolution of a post-gender marriage; Objection to the so-called reification of 'the couple.'