The Effect of Gender-role Self-stereotypes and Social Comparison on the Relationship between Equity and Satisfaction

The study investigated whether the reported importance of gender-role self-stereotyping in the association between equity and relationship satisfaction for heterosexual males, was generalisable to gay males. One hundred heterosexual and 100 gay males involved in intimate relationships participated in the research. They provided data regarding their relationship satisfaction, gender roles, and relational and referential equity comparisons. The results indicated that individuals felt more satisfied with their relationship when it was seen to be an equitable relationship with their partner and when they saw themselves to be overbenefitted when compared with other peoples' relationships. Relational and referential comparisons were stronger predictors of satisfaction for heterosexual men low in gender-role self-stereotyping. However, these findings were not replicated with gay males. As differences seemed to be the result of gender nonconformity and uniqueness of gay males, gender-role self-stereotyping might not be a relevant variable for this particular population.