The contention made by Giddens, among others, that intimacy has transformed due to processes of individualization is appraised in this article. With a specific emphasis on the degree of choice now said to be inherent in intimate relationships, consideration is given to the gendered nature of negotiating choice and how gendered inequality is often reproduced as a result. This is illustrated by research on distance relationships.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
ADKINS, Lisa (2000) ‘Objects of Innovation: Post-Occupational Reflexivity and Re-Traditionalizations of Gender’, in S. Ahmed, J. Kilby, C. Lury, M. McNeil and B. Skeggs (eds) Transformations: Thinking Though Feminism, pp. 259–272. London: Routledge .
2.
BAUMAN, Zygmunt (2003) Liquid Love: On the Frailty of Human Bonds. Cambridge: Polity Press .
3.
BECK, Ulrich and BECK-GERNSHEIM, Elisabeth (1995) The Normal Chaos of Love. Cambridge: Polity Press .
4.
DUNCAN, Simon, EDWARDS, Rosalind, REYNOLDS, Tracey and ALLDRED, Pam (2003) ‘Motherhood, Paid Work and Partnering: Values and Theories’ , Work, Employment and Society17(2): 309–330 .
5.
FAGAN, Colette (2002) ‘How Many Hours? Work-Time Regimes and Preferences in European Countries’, in Graham Crow and Sue Heath (eds) Social Conceptions of Time: Structure and Process in Everyday Life, pp. 67–87. Basingstoke: Palgrave .
6.
GERSTEL, Naomi R. and GROSS, Harriet (1984) Commuter Marriage: A Study of Work and Family. London: Guilford Press .
7.
GIDDENS, Anthony (1992) The Transformation of Intimacy: Sexuality, Love and Eroticism in Modern Societies. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press .
8.
GOFFMAN, Erving (1971) The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. Harmondsworth: Penguin . (Orig. pub. 1959.)
9.
GREEN, A. E. (1997) ‘A Question of Compromise? Case Study Evidence on the Location and Mobility Strategies of Dual Career Households’ , Regional Studies31(7): 641–657 .
10.
JAMIESON, Lynn (1999) ‘Intimacy Transformed? A Critical Look at the “Pure Relationship”’ , Sociology33(3): 477–494 .
11.
MCRAE, Susan (1999) ‘Cohabitation or Marriage? – Cohabitation’, in Graham Allan (ed.) The Sociology of the Family: A Reader, pp. 172–190. Oxford: Blackwell .
12.
SCHOEN, Robert and WEINICK, Robin M. (1993) ‘Partner Choice in Marriages and Cohabitations’ , Journal of Marriage and the Family55(2): 408–414 .
