Power in heterosexual intimate relations reflection on researching power relations in the context of gender equality

Authors

  • Ewa Krzaklewska Uniwersytet Jagielloński, Instytut Socjologii, Zakład Badania Problemów Ludnościowych, image/svg+xml
  • Anna Ratecka Uniwersytet Jagielloński, Instytut Socjologii, Zakład Badania Problemów Ludnościowych image/svg+xml

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18778/0208-600X.51.10

Keywords:

power in families, gender, gender equality, power processes, power outcomes, basis of power

Abstract

The article reflects upon studies on power relations within intimate heterosexual relations in the context of gender equality. The starting point in the analysis of power from such a perspective is the proposition of Ronald E. Cromwell and David H. Olson to describe power dy­namics taking into account its three dimensions: bases of power, power processes, power outcomes. This paper is an attempt to further develop this classic position by adding the gender perspective to it. The aim of the article is to illustrate that gender norms concerning both men and women as well as gender ideologies of partners in a relationship impact all three dimensions of power, modifying their meaning and impact. We attempt to answer the question of how gender shapes the power rela­tions in intimate heterosexual relationships. An outcome of this discussion is a theoretical model for investigating power within heterosexual relationships.

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Published

2014-12-30

How to Cite

Krzaklewska, Ewa, and Anna Ratecka. 2014. “Power in Heterosexual Intimate Relations Reflection on Researching Power Relations in the Context of Gender Equality”. Acta Universitatis Lodziensis. Folia Sociologica, no. 51 (December): 149-67. https://doi.org/10.18778/0208-600X.51.10.