The role of perceived attitude similarity in relationship satisfaction among heterosexual and lesbian couples

Abstract

This study was designed to help breach the gap of knowledge about women in intimate relationships. Specifically, the relationship between perceived attitude similarity, objective attitude similarity, length of relationship, and relationship satisfaction was examined for heterosexual women and lesbians.

Objective similarity was operationalized as correspondence between one's own attitudes and the attitudes expressed by one's partner on 30 attitude items. Perceived similarity was defined as the correspondence between one's own attitudes and how one believed the partner would respond to the same items.

The primary sample of participants were 26 heterosexual women and their partners and 26 lesbians and their partners, all of whom participated through the Internet. Perceived similarity was shown to be significantly greater than objective similarity, consistent with past research on heterosexual relationships.

No significant difference in relationship satisfaction was found between heterosexual women and lesbians. In the primary sample objective similarity did not significantly correlate with relationship satisfaction for heterosexuals or lesbians, nor did perceived similarity.

In an expanded sample including the 26 partners of the lesbians in the original sample and 8 heterosexual women and 4 lesbians whose partners did not participate in the study, perceived similarity correlated modestly with relationship satisfaction for both heterosexuals (r=.42, p< .007) and lesbians (r=.23, p<.045). In the expanded sample, perceived similarity did not correlate with length of relationship for lesbians, but did for heterosexual women.

Overall, the results suggest that previous relationships between similarity and satisfaction among heterosexual couples can be extended to lesbian relationships as well. Issues concerning data collection via the Internet are discussed.