Casados de papel passado: uma análise do processo de construção dos casamentos igualitários.

Abstract

Egalitarian marriages have become a reality in contemporary society. This achievement was made possible thanks to changes in the way of thinking about the family and the constant struggles of the LGBTQIA + Movement. A presupposition for our research is the existence of a collectively approved model, postulated as a naturalized ideal of what is considered as a family. This model has prevailed as a paradigm and, due to its prevalence, has sought to demarcate which are the roles of man and woman; responsibilities to children; with the maintenance of the home; and the management and control of emotions: love, security, jealousy and trust. These and other elements seem to define the characteristic features of what is considered to be the shape of the heteronormative family. In view of this, we were led to question whether the family subjectivities of same-sex couples reproduce, resist or reinvent the “standards” that apply in the context of heterosexual families. In this way, we seek to analyze the processes of construction of conjugal bonds in same-sex couples; discern which mechanisms are activated in the management and maintenance of these loving partnerships; verify how they define their relationships; and what is the understanding of these couples about what family is. To this end, we conducted a qualitative research with an emphasis on interviews with six couples, their narratives enabled us to understand the values and meanings that guide the actors and their ways of acting in society. In theoretical terms, the discussions were based on analysis categories proposed by authors such as Bourdieu, Foucault and Giddens. Throughout the study, we observed that the couples consulted are marked by experiences that reveal prejudices and discrimination. This finding expresses that the legal formalization of these unions does not exempt same-sex couples from social stigma. However, the couples consulted stated that they transform prejudice into resistance and reinvent their relationships through conjugal negotiation, daily cooperation, balanced division of domestic activities, friendship and mutual care. Although the results of the research do not represent a total understanding of egalitarian marriages, they indicate important clues for understanding the different forms of constituting families and couples in contemporary times: moving away from the mere repetition of concepts, pointing out paths of intellectual innovation, especially in the area of Family Sociology, and encouraging social intervention.