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Narratives of Women Who Have Experienced Both Heterosexual and Same-Sex Marriages Krista Anne Butland Walden University

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Narratives of Women Who Have Experienced Both Heterosexual and Same-Sex Marriages Krista Anne Butland Walden University Walden University ScholarWorks Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection 2015 The omplexC ities of Female Sexuality: Narratives of Women who Have Experienced Both Heterosexual and Same-Sex Marriages Krista Anne Butland Walden University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations Part of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies Commons, Psychology Commons, and the Women's Studies Commons This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection at ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Walden University College of Social and Behavioral Sciences This is to certify that the doctoral dissertation by Krista Butland has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made. Review Committee Dr. Susana Verdinelli, Committee Chairperson, Psychology Faculty Dr. Lara Stepleman, Committee Member, Psychology Faculty Dr. Bonnie Nastasi, University Reviewer, Psychology Faculty Chief Academic Officer Eric Riedel, Ph.D. Walden University 2015 Abstract The Complexities of Female Sexuality: Narratives of Women who Have Experienced Both Heterosexual and Same-Sex Marriages by Krista A. Paduchowski-Butland MA, University of Massachusetts at Lowell, 2009 BA, Salve Regina University, 2006 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Social Psychology Walden University March 2015 Abstract Due to social stigma, millions of sexual minorities have concealed their true sexual identities by entering into heterosexual relationships and marriages. Eventually, some transition to same-sex relationships and are able to live authentic lives. This latter group had identified as genuinely heterosexual, never questioning their sexuality until a particular time in their lives when same-sex desires spontaneously appeared. The experiences of transitioning from heterosexual to same-sex partners are not well known, particularly for women who have been legally married to both men and women. Diamond’s dynamical systems theory for same-sex sexuality and McCarn and Fassinger’s lesbian identity formation model provided the theoretical framework for this qualitative narrative study investigating the life stories of 15 female participants recruited from social media, who had experienced a transition from heterosexual marriage to same- sex marriage. Face-to-face interviews were conducted and data were coded and analyzed to identify emergent categories. The findings revealed that the women experienced shifts in private and public sexual identities over time. Despite external obstacles and personal concerns in transitioning from heterosexual to same-sex relationships, all the women had more positive experiences in their same-sex marriages than they did in their heterosexual marriages. Understanding these women’s life stories will allow mental health professionals to better understand and address the needs of this population in more clinical and applied settings. This study will also help educate the general public about women who experience shifts in the desired gender of their relationship. The Complexities of Female Sexuality: Narratives of Women who Have Experienced Both Heterosexual and Same-Sex Marriages by Krista A. Paduchowski-Butland MA, University of Massachusetts at Lowell, 2009 BS, Salve Regina University, 2006 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Social Psychology Walden University March 2015 Dedication The completion of this study is dedicated to my grandmother, Jeannette Paduchowski, who has been my number one fan my entire life. She has been my inspiration for as long as I can remember and the completion of this degree is not only for me, but for her, too. She has believed in me every step of the way on my very lengthy academic journey and if it were not for her, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I owe her everything. Thank you Mem. This one is for you. Acknowledgments There are a lot of people I would like to thank for their physical and moral support during this process. Most importantly, I want to thank my study participants. If it were not for these wonderful women, this project would never have come to fruition. I will always be grateful for their willingness to share their very private life stories with me. Their lives, I hope, will truly be an inspiration to those who read about them. I also want to sincerely thank my dissertation chairperson, Dr. Susana Verdinelli, who has guided me through this process every step of the way. Her prompt help, her encouragement, and her belief in my abilities from day one have really made this an enjoyable experience. I am so grateful for having chosen her for this endeavor. I could not have chosen a better mentor and expert. Thank you Dr. V. I would also like to thank my committee member, Dr. Lara Stepleman, for her assistance along the way. Her kind words and support from day one have been incredibly motivating and hugely appreciated. She was a wonderful person to have on my team. Thank you to my friends who have given me the space I have needed during this very busy time of my life. I promise my social life will be back to normal now! Thank you to all of my family who have believed in me since I began my undergraduate journey in psychology in 2003. They never let me falter and they certainly wouldn’t have allowed me to give up. I thank them for that. I want to say thanks to my dear friend Tracy Daniel who I was fortunate enough to meet in my third Walden residency in Maryland. We were both in a similar spot early on in our dissertation journeys and have guided each other every single day since then. I am grateful for her support and encouragement. I look forward to a lifelong friendship. Lastly, I owe a great deal of gratitude to my wife Terry. This has been a long and tedious process and she has supported and encouraged me every step of the way. Her life has been a source of inspiration for pursuing this dissertation topic. I thank her for standing by me and providing emotional support when I needed it and giving me the space and time alone when I needed that! Thank you babe. Table of Contents List of Tables ................................................................................................................... viii Chapter 1: Introduction to the Study ....................................................................................1 Background ....................................................................................................................2 Problem Statement .........................................................................................................4 Purpose of the Study ......................................................................................................6 Research Questions ........................................................................................................7 Theoretical Framework ..................................................................................................7 Nature of the Study ........................................................................................................9 Definitions......................................................................................................................9 Assumptions .................................................................................................................11 Scope and Delimitations ..............................................................................................13 Limitations ...................................................................................................................15 Significance..................................................................................................................17 Summary ......................................................................................................................19 Chapter 2: Literature Review .............................................................................................20 Introduction ..................................................................................................................20 Background ..................................................................................................................21 Literature Search Strategy............................................................................................22 Theoretical Frameworks ..............................................................................................24 Sexual Orientation .......................................................................................................28 Female Sexuality and Homosexuality .........................................................................33 i Historical Trends ................................................................................................... 33 Social Movements ................................................................................................. 35 The Development of Sexual Orientation .....................................................................37 Biological, Genetic, and Developmental Perspectives
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