Gay men’s experience of same-sex marriage and its relation to well-being: an interpretative phenomenological analysis

Abstract

Same-sex marriage is a recent and growing societal phenomenon, which has garnered little attention from researchers. Currently, most of what is known regarding the experience of marriage comes from research using opposite-sex couples. The study of same-sex marriage provides an opportunity to explore how gay men experience marriage in relation to societal norms. This qualitative study illuminated the lived experience of three gay men who have participated in the phenomenon of same sex marriage. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was the primary methodology used to guide this study. IPA combines various phenomenological elements, such as phenomenology, hermeneutics, and idiography, to understand how research participants perceive a particular life experience; interpretation is central to IPA methodology. Data collection included three extensive interviews with each of the participants, which resulted in rich descriptions of their marriage experience. Data analysis revealed four superordinate themes associated with the participants’ experience of marriage: (a) acceptance, (b) the long shadow of stigmatization, (c) critical crossroads, and (d) the meaning of marriage. An important finding in this study was the impact that sexual prejudice and stigmatization had on the participants’ gay identity, occupational experience, and well-being, which ultimately influenced their experience of marriage. The knowledge gained from this study on same-sex marrige will be used to expand current literature, and inform social scientists regarding the impact that sexual prejudice and heteronormativity have on the occupational experience and health outcomes of this understudied population.