Gender-role attitudes and role divisions according to sexual orientation

The study examined the differences in attitudes toward gender roles and the division of labor between 70 men (40 heterosexual and 30 gay men) and 80 women (40 heterosexual and 40 lesbians) according to sexual orientation. The results show that same-sex orientation people are more liberal in their attitudes than heterosexuals, and heterosexual women are more liberal in their attitudes compared to heterosexual men. In addition, while the division of tasks among same-sex orientation people is egalitarian, heterosexual men and women are still adhered to traditional gender division. The results are discussed in terms of their relevance to social perception theories and cultural backgrounds, and point to the need to define new categories to differentiate between people; categories that are not based on the gender, but rather on the individual's definition of his own identity.