EXPLORING THE COMPOSITION AND FORMATION OF LESBIAN SOCIAL TIES by LAURA S. LOGAN B.A., University of Nebraska at Kearney, 2006 A THESIS submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree MASTER OF ARTS Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work College of Arts and Sciences KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY Manhattan, Kansas 2008 Approved by: Major Professor Dana M. Britton Copyright LAURA S. LOGAN 2008 Abstract The literature on friendship and social networks finds that individuals form social ties with people who are like them; this is termed “homophily.” Several researchers demonstrate that social networks and social ties are homophilous with regard to race and class, for example. However, few studies have explored the relationship of homophily to the social ties of lesbians, and fewer still have explicitly examined sexual orientation as a point of homophily. This study intends to help fill that gap by looking at homophily among lesbian social ties, as well as how urban and non-urban residency might shape homophily and lesbian social ties. I gathered data that would answer the following central research questions: Are lesbian social ties homophilous and if so around what common characteristics? What are lesbians’ experiences with community resources and how does this influence their social ties? How does population influence lesbian social ties? Data for this research come from 544 responses to an internet survey that asked lesbians about their social ties, their interests and activities and those of their friends, and the cities or towns in which they resided. Using the concepts of status and value homophily, I attempt to make visible some of the factors and forces that shape social ties for lesbians. Table of Contents List of Tables ................................................................................................................................. vi Acknowledgements....................................................................................................................... vii Dedication...................................................................................................................................... ix Preface............................................................................................................................................. x CHAPTER 1 - Introduction ............................................................................................................ 1 CHAPTER 2 - Literature Review................................................................................................... 4 Introduction................................................................................................................................. 4 Status Homophily ....................................................................................................................... 8 Race......................................................................................................................................... 8 Class...................................................................................................................................... 11 Sex/Gender............................................................................................................................ 13 Family ................................................................................................................................... 14 Sexuality ............................................................................................................................... 16 Value Homophily...................................................................................................................... 18 Religion................................................................................................................................. 18 Politics................................................................................................................................... 19 Friendship, Population, and Location....................................................................................... 20 Urban..................................................................................................................................... 20 Rural...................................................................................................................................... 23 Finding Lesbian Friends ........................................................................................................... 25 Churches and Religious Organizations................................................................................. 28 Organizations ........................................................................................................................ 28 Lesbian/Gay Events .............................................................................................................. 30 Media Resources and the Internet......................................................................................... 31 Sports .................................................................................................................................... 32 Lesbian or Gay Bars.............................................................................................................. 33 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 35 CHAPTER 3 - Hypotheses and Methods...................................................................................... 37 iv Hypothesis ................................................................................................................................ 37 Homophily ............................................................................................................................ 37 Population ............................................................................................................................. 38 Methods .................................................................................................................................... 38 Sample Characteristics.......................................................................................................... 43 Measurement of Variables........................................................................................................ 45 Dependent Variables............................................................................................................. 45 Independent Variables........................................................................................................... 49 CHAPTER 4 - Results .................................................................................................................. 52 Status Homophily: Race, Class, Sex and Sexuality.................................................................. 54 Status Homophily: Family........................................................................................................ 59 Value Homophily...................................................................................................................... 62 Population: Urban/Non-Urban.................................................................................................. 63 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 70 CHAPTER 5 - Discussion and Conclusion .................................................................................. 71 References..................................................................................................................................... 80 Appendix A - Survey Tool............................................................................................................ 98 Appendix B - Consent Form....................................................................................................... 105 Appendix C - Cities and States of Residence ............................................................................. 106 v List of Tables Table 3.1: Sample Characteristics................................................................................................. 43 Table 3.2: Population Breakdown................................................................................................. 44 Table 3.3: Univariate Statistics..................................................................................................... 47 Table 4.1: Homophily ................................................................................................................... 53 Table 4.2: Homophily with t-values ............................................................................................. 54 Table 4.3: Mean comparison for racial homophily by race of respondent ................................... 55 Table 4.4: Sex homophily............................................................................................................. 58 Table 4.5: Sexuality homophily.................................................................................................... 59 Table 4.6: Mean comparison for number of social ties by relationship status ............................. 60 Table 4.7: Mean comparison for number of social ties by parenting status ................................. 61 Table 4.8: Mean comparison for number of social ties by urban/non-urban residence................ 64 Table