Menís Endorsement of Monogamy: The Role of Gendered Relationship Scripts on Beliefs about Committed Relationships, Love, and Romance.

Abstract

The present studies examined whether men disapprove of monogamy or if men simply disapprove gendered relationship scripts regarding monogamy to which there are expected to adhere. In Studies 1a and 1b, I found that partnered men report frustration with relationship scripts regarding initiating romantic events. In Study 2, I found that men are responsible for orchestrating engagement proposals and Valentine’s Day festivities, whereas women are responsible for weddings. In Studies 3-5, I examined the effects of gendered relationship scripts on people’s beliefs about committed relationships, sexual and romantic exclusivity, and romance. In Study 3, men and women who were single or in a monogamous relationship responded to monogamy-related items and reported their emotional reactions after viewing common steps to prepare for an engagement proposal, wedding, or surprise birthday party. In two subtle priming studies, men and women responded to monogamy-related items after viewing engagement proposal or landscape photographs (Study 4 included single and partnered participants) or on Valentine’s Day or April 10th (Study 5 included partnered participants). When gendered relationship scripts were salient (via engagement proposal or Valentine’s Day ideals), partnered men, but not single men, reported lower endorsement of the committed relationship ideology and sexual/romantic exclusivity as compared to partnered men and women in the control conditions and women in the high salience condition. Women’s attitudes were unaffected by gendered relationship script salience; their attitudes were also unaffected by relationship script salience unique to them (wedding planning in Study 3). Study 3 confirmed that heightened negative affect (feeling frustrated, overwhelmed, annoyed) accounted for why partnered men in the high gendered relationship script salience condition reported less endorsement of monogamy. Taken together, partnered men endorse monogamy, but not their gendered relationship scripts associated with monogamy.