Dual-career lesbian couples

The purpose of this study was to investigate the psychological correlates of relationship satisfaction and role conflict in dual-career lesbian couples. Couples were recruited through newsletters, mailings and advertisements in magazines. Questionnaires were sent to 720 individuals (360 couples). Of these 575 were returned. Participants were from Canada, Israel, and the United States. The sample is 94% white. Ages range from 20 to 59 years old. Two identical questionnaires were sent to each couple. Each participant responded to the questionnaire separately, providing demographic information and answering questions about her current relationship and perceptions of lesbian relationships in general. The questionnaire also included scales and measures of role conflict, personal autonomy, self esteem, career commitment, life satisfaction and disclosure about lesbian identity. Other scales assess aspects of the relationship itself, including attachment, intimacy, satisfaction, adjustment, and influence of each individual on the relationship. The Murray Research Center has all 575 original questionnaires and computer-accessible data for 550 of these.