Same Sex Marriage Research Paper

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Same Sex Marriage

Age

Gender Gap

Religion

Participants

Materials

The study conducted is a research on the topic of "Same Sex Marriages." The study aims to identify the key variables in the context of same sex marriages. The research will find out that the variables that are leading to different opinions on this topic. There are three hypotheses in the research will be proved through the data collected and analyzed.

The issue of same sex marriage has emerged in the past few decades and has different perspectives which have resulted in a number of changes in the legislations and changes in the marriage laws. These changes have varied from country to country and state to state. The same sex marriage is a matter of civil rights, social rights, moral rights, equality, and human rights. There have been numerous debates on the issue of same sex marriage and the opinions are divided. 11 countries have legalized same sex marriage nationwide. In many other countries it has been legalized in some states like USA and Brazil while in Australia it is legalized if one of the two partners has gone through a gender reassignment therapy.

Marriage is often defined as a legal and religious commitment as an expression of love between a man and a woman. Homosexual relationships have been gaining popularity all over the world however these homosexuals are not allowed to marry everywhere. Some of the states have started a new term which is legal for such couples "civil union" instead of marriage but is same in essence.

It is a basic human right for everyone that he can choose to marry anyone that he or she likes or wants to commit with him/her. Therefore homosexuals should have complete freedom to choose their partners. This study aims to research the various issues related to the same sex marriages. Same sex marriage is influenced by many factors which include age, gender and religious preferences.

Literature Review

The debate of same sex marriage has led top many nationwide controversies. The opinions of politicians, religious opinion makers, and general public have been divided on this topic. The main question is that should same sex marriage be legalized or not and if it is legalized then what will be its consequences.

Age:

Harry K., wrote a research paper for the Chronicle of Higher Education, in which he conducted a comprehensive research on same sex marriages and has discovered a close relationship between age and same sex marriages. The research discovered that the younger generation is more open to the concept of same sex marriages. The research also mentioned the various factors that had led to these results. The young generation is brought up with much more freedom and a sense of individuality which has allowed them to express themselves in a way that they can express their individualism and there is a freedom of thought. Everyone has a right to live the way that he/she wants to live. The young generation is also more involved in same sex interactions and do not feel ashamed of admitting that unlike the older generation who kept such things a secret as they considered it a sin or unethical.

The research surveyed three states (Ohio, Vancouver and Florida), found out that almost two third of the young population (under 40) were in favor of same sex marriage legalization. Compare that to the 44% in favor from the age group of 40+ to 60, and only 25% from the age group of 60+ were in favor of legalizing same sex marriage. This research was a clear reflection of how the opinions were divided in the age groups on this issue. Gay marriages in the three states were in general socially acceptable but the older generation had difficulties in adapting to this change in the social structure. (Harry K., 2010-page 15-17)

Gender Gap:

Abraham Julie has highlighted some key issues that have led to a gender gap as a key variable in the same sex marriage issue. In general most females are more in favor of legalizing same sex marriages while men are more inclined towards opposing this proposition. There are many factors for women to believe that these marriages should be legalized.

If the same sex marriages are to be legalized everywhere then it will create a major change in the social structure. The social structure at the moment is favoring the male population as they have more authority than females; however females would love to turn the tables over. Also there is a growing insecurity of women that the males do not give them the love and respect that they want therefore they are more comfortable living with another female partners.

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The females and males have different sexual organs and their life age is also different. Females have sexual organs that satisfy them on an average for 45 years while males can last longer with their sexual capabilities. Abraham Julie conducted the research in Ohio and found out that more than 50% were in favor of same sex marriage while only 35% of the male participants were in favor of same sex marriages. This is a clear indication that females are more inclined towards supporting same sex marriages as opposed to men. Another interesting finding of this research was that females were more open to talk about their lesbian experiences as compared to men who were reluctant and embarrassed to share their gay stories, this was concluded after interviewing a number of participants and carrying out focus groups. Most of the participants were of younger age group and had started homosexuality in their high school life. (Abraham Julie, 2010, pg. 33-37)

Religion:

An important factor in forming an opinion about same sex marriage is Religion. Although there are differences in the views of scholars of most religions of what is the real perspective of religion on same sex marriage. Another area of concern on a religious perspective is that does same sex marriage affect religious freedom or not. There are a number of religious organizations who do not consider same sex couples as humans and treat them in a different manner.

Andrew Hart in the year 2004 conducted a wide research on the topic of "Resolution on Sexual Orientation and Marriage," in that research they found out that religious orientation of a person had a close relationship with ones opinion on same sex marriages. It is hard to get a final word of religion on this topic because same sex marriage concept was almost non-existent at the time when the major religions were formed. Therefore people have to rely on the interpretations made by religious scholars and one's own personal choices. However, generally religious people do not like the concept of same sex marriages as they consider this as an act against nature and God.

Hart A. found out in his research that in the state of Florida and Texas almost 75% of the non-religious people were in favor of same sex marriages as opposed to 15% religious people in favor. There were numerous reasons stated by them for opposing the same sex marriage concept. One of the major reasons was that they considered it to be an act to challenge God and that was not allowed in religion. Same sex marriage would also challenge the social structure and that too was prohibited in religion. Many of them quoted Bible and gave justification through the creation of Adam and Eve. One interesting response stated that if God allows same sex marriage then he would have created Adam and Adam not Eve. Therefore this research concluded that the most important factor in forming an opinion about the same sex marriage idea is religion and religious orientation of a person. (Hart A., 2004, pg. 22-27)

Hypothesis

The first hypothesis is that the younger generation is more in favor of giving the rights to homosexuals to marry one another, as compared to the older generation. Harry K (2010) reported that in the three states where they had researched there was a massive difference in the opinions of the older generation as compared to the younger generation. (pg. 27) It was also observed that as the age of the participants was increasing so was their negative opinions on this topic. There has been a dramatic increase in the support of the same sex marriage legislation in the past two decades in America this is due to the openness of the minds of the younger generations and the freedom of thought and expression getting priority lately.

The second hypothesis of the research is that females are more in favor of giving the rights to homosexuals to marry one another, as compared to men. Abraham Julie (2010) mentioned in their research that their research had clear evidence of female majority acceptance of the same sex marriage. Research also gave several reasons for this gender gap. The main reason being the difference in nature of the two genders, as female gender is more emotional than….....

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