Study of life story about "gender role" among lesbian couples

2004 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 15510217
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Gender
• Research Institution: Hiroshima Prefectural Women's University
• Principal Investigator: ASANO Chie Hiroshima Prefectural Women's University, Faculty of Human Life & Environmental Science, Associate professor, 生活科学部, 助教授 (20336910)
• Project Period (FY): 2003 – 2004
• Keywords: homosexual / partnership / lesbian / division of house work

Research Abstract

This study was done to research about Japanese lesbian couples. Depth interviews were done about 27 Japanese women whose partner was same gender.
First, most of women were ecological independents. Most of them were public servants, teachers and medical workers.
Second, about family budget, 7 couples took account to income. 5 couples paid same money as the cost of living.
Third, about house work, 6 couples answered mainly a party done. 5 couples shared impartiality. Generally, house work were shared as each abilities. Terms of "Tati" and "neko" are usually used as gender role of lesbian couples. That is, "tati" means male role and "neko" means female role. This kind of gender role was rare case in my research. In the case, part of "tati" is working for their living and that of "neko" is the housework.
Coming out were felt difficult and most of informants were very careful, particularly toward their workplace.
From the fact of living together, their parents were easy to guess the relationship of their daughters. But as to coming out, most of women didn't use the word s "lesbian" and "homosexual". They used a roundabout expression For example, they said "just like marriage", "If she is a male, I would get married to her" and so on.
Why they didn't use the words "lesbian" and "homosexual", because their words were sometimes stigmatized. In addition, informants didn't have lesbian identity. In short, they have same gender partner.
The last, social institutions present a serious inconvenience to couples of same gender. Concretely, when they want to buy their house, they don't have on loan jointly. They can't adopt a Japanese child. And because of the marriage limits to heterosexual person, especially when a partner is a foreigner, the couple is difficult to live together.