{"id":2462,"date":"2018-12-05T11:00:13","date_gmt":"2018-12-05T11:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/svmarriagecoun.wpengine.com\/?p=2462"},"modified":"2018-12-04T10:37:41","modified_gmt":"2018-12-04T10:37:41","slug":"gender-norms-and-relationship-dynamics-in-same-sex-relationships","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/gender-norms-and-relationship-dynamics-in-same-sex-relationships\/","title":{"rendered":"Gender Norms and Relationship Dynamics in Same Sex Relationships"},"content":{"rendered":"

New ideas on the fluidity of gender identities have brought new considerations into couple\u2019s counseling. Whether it is opposite-sex or same-sex relationships, understanding gender roles goes a long way in understanding relationship dynamics.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Traditionally, it was thought that men and women complement each other in the family dynamic. However, as time progresses these ideas are being brought in to question as more same-sex relationships come to light.<\/p>\n

Gender roles and the Family Unit<\/b><\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"Gender<\/p>\n

Gender identities are performative<\/u><\/a>. When people exhibit a certain type of behavior, they are said to be acting out their gender identities. This idea brings into question the imposition of gender norms on to the sexes.<\/p>\n

Conventionally, it was held that women ought to be responsible for the domestic affairs of the household. Men were to be the providers or responsible for the financial well being of the family. There was a similar classification of roles in relationships. It was part of the man\u2019s identity that they be responsible for the finance and part of the woman\u2019s identity that they take care of the home.<\/p>\n

These actions reaffirmed the man and the woman\u2019s identity. This was a circular relationship; the two partners thought that belonging to a gender meant acting in certain ways and acting in certain ways meant that they belonged to a certain gender. This imposed demarcations that dictated relationship dynamics.<\/p>\n

The question for us is; what does this mean for same-sex relationships?<\/p>\n

There is much to be said here about how gender identities are socially constructed. However, many same sex couples may find it difficult to navigate through a relationship if they cannot create an effect role dividing strategy.<\/p>\n

Constructing a Healthy Dynamic<\/b><\/strong><\/h2>\n

When people get into a relationship, there is already a dynamic that is set in motion. It is determined by their personalities and the experiences they have been through in their time together.<\/p>\n

Having an understanding of gender roles and knowing that they are socially determined helps in coming to a very important realization. We realize that restricting the ways in which we act can be detrimental to our emotional and psychological well being. Further that no one really has to act a certain way because of their gender identities.<\/p>\n

Keeping these two key realizations in mind, it is a simple step of wondering how best to make a relationship work. Two people can be in a same-sex relationship, identifying with the same or different genders; yet this does not mean it has to impact the roles they play.<\/p>\n

Maintaining a healthy relationship is not a one-size-fits-all type deal. It depends on how willing both partners are to work on creating a wholesome environment for each other. This is especially important for same-sex couples, where gender identity clashes might cause turbulence in the relationship.<\/p>\n

Sometimes it may be worthwhile to visit a couple\u2019s counselor to help figure a way around these clashes to create a healthy and loving relationship.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Azizeh Rezaiyan<\/u><\/a>\u00a0at Silicon Valley Marriage Counseling is fluent in Farsi\u00a0and specializes in same-sex couple\u2019s therapy<\/u><\/a>. In her time as a counselor in Palo Alto, she has helped countless couples resolve their conflicts through her marriage counseling<\/u><\/a>\u00a0and family mediation services<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n

You may get in touch with her<\/u><\/a>\u00a0at her clinics at Silicon Valley Marriage Counseling for more information on her services or a free 20 minute consultation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New ideas on the fluidity of gender identities have brought new considerations into couple\u2019s counseling. Whether it is opposite-sex or same-sex relationships, understanding gender roles goes a long way in understanding relationship dynamics.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":2463,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2462","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"yoast_head":"\nGender Norms and Relationship Dynamics in Same Sex Relationships - Azizeh Rezaiyan Couples Therapy and Marriage Counseling<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/gender-norms-and-relationship-dynamics-in-same-sex-relationships\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Gender Norms and Relationship Dynamics in Same Sex Relationships - Azizeh Rezaiyan Couples Therapy and Marriage Counseling\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"New ideas on the fluidity of gender identities have brought new considerations into couple\u2019s counseling. Whether it is opposite-sex or same-sex relationships, understanding gender roles goes a long way in understanding relationship dynamics.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/gender-norms-and-relationship-dynamics-in-same-sex-relationships\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Azizeh Rezaiyan Couples Therapy and Marriage Counseling\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-12-05T11:00:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/sil1-1.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"940\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"627\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/gender-norms-and-relationship-dynamics-in-same-sex-relationships\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/gender-norms-and-relationship-dynamics-in-same-sex-relationships\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"\",\"@id\":\"\"},\"headline\":\"Gender Norms and Relationship Dynamics in Same Sex Relationships\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-12-05T11:00:13+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/gender-norms-and-relationship-dynamics-in-same-sex-relationships\/\"},\"wordCount\":572,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/gender-norms-and-relationship-dynamics-in-same-sex-relationships\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/sil1-1.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"Blog\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/gender-norms-and-relationship-dynamics-in-same-sex-relationships\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/gender-norms-and-relationship-dynamics-in-same-sex-relationships\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/gender-norms-and-relationship-dynamics-in-same-sex-relationships\/\",\"name\":\"Gender Norms and Relationship Dynamics in Same Sex Relationships - Azizeh Rezaiyan Couples Therapy and Marriage Counseling\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/gender-norms-and-relationship-dynamics-in-same-sex-relationships\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/gender-norms-and-relationship-dynamics-in-same-sex-relationships\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/sil1-1.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-12-05T11:00:13+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/gender-norms-and-relationship-dynamics-in-same-sex-relationships\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/gender-norms-and-relationship-dynamics-in-same-sex-relationships\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/gender-norms-and-relationship-dynamics-in-same-sex-relationships\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/sil1-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/sil1-1.png\",\"width\":940,\"height\":627,\"caption\":\"Gender Norms and Relationship Dynamics in Same Sex Relationships\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/gender-norms-and-relationship-dynamics-in-same-sex-relationships\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Gender Norms and Relationship Dynamics in Same Sex Relationships\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/\",\"name\":\"Azizeh Rezaiyan Couples Therapy\",\"description\":\"Making Good Lives Better\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Azizeh Rezaiyan Couples Therapy\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ARCT-logo-color.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ARCT-logo-color.png\",\"width\":373,\"height\":63,\"caption\":\"Azizeh Rezaiyan Couples Therapy\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Gender Norms and Relationship Dynamics in Same Sex Relationships - Azizeh Rezaiyan Couples Therapy and Marriage Counseling","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/gender-norms-and-relationship-dynamics-in-same-sex-relationships\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Gender Norms and Relationship Dynamics in Same Sex Relationships - Azizeh Rezaiyan Couples Therapy and Marriage Counseling","og_description":"New ideas on the fluidity of gender identities have brought new considerations into couple\u2019s counseling. Whether it is opposite-sex or same-sex relationships, understanding gender roles goes a long way in understanding relationship dynamics.","og_url":"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/gender-norms-and-relationship-dynamics-in-same-sex-relationships\/","og_site_name":"Azizeh Rezaiyan Couples Therapy and Marriage Counseling","article_published_time":"2018-12-05T11:00:13+00:00","og_image":[{"width":940,"height":627,"url":"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/sil1-1.png","type":"image\/png"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/gender-norms-and-relationship-dynamics-in-same-sex-relationships\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/gender-norms-and-relationship-dynamics-in-same-sex-relationships\/"},"author":{"name":"","@id":""},"headline":"Gender Norms and Relationship Dynamics in Same Sex Relationships","datePublished":"2018-12-05T11:00:13+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/gender-norms-and-relationship-dynamics-in-same-sex-relationships\/"},"wordCount":572,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/gender-norms-and-relationship-dynamics-in-same-sex-relationships\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/sil1-1.png","articleSection":["Blog"],"inLanguage":"en","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/gender-norms-and-relationship-dynamics-in-same-sex-relationships\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/gender-norms-and-relationship-dynamics-in-same-sex-relationships\/","url":"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/gender-norms-and-relationship-dynamics-in-same-sex-relationships\/","name":"Gender Norms and Relationship Dynamics in Same Sex Relationships - Azizeh Rezaiyan Couples Therapy and Marriage Counseling","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/gender-norms-and-relationship-dynamics-in-same-sex-relationships\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/gender-norms-and-relationship-dynamics-in-same-sex-relationships\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/sil1-1.png","datePublished":"2018-12-05T11:00:13+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/gender-norms-and-relationship-dynamics-in-same-sex-relationships\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/gender-norms-and-relationship-dynamics-in-same-sex-relationships\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en","@id":"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/gender-norms-and-relationship-dynamics-in-same-sex-relationships\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/sil1-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/sil1-1.png","width":940,"height":627,"caption":"Gender Norms and Relationship Dynamics in Same Sex Relationships"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/gender-norms-and-relationship-dynamics-in-same-sex-relationships\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Gender Norms and Relationship Dynamics in Same Sex Relationships"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/#website","url":"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/","name":"Azizeh Rezaiyan Couples Therapy","description":"Making Good Lives Better","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/#organization","name":"Azizeh Rezaiyan Couples Therapy","url":"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en","@id":"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ARCT-logo-color.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ARCT-logo-color.png","width":373,"height":63,"caption":"Azizeh Rezaiyan Couples Therapy"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/sil1-1.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2462","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2462"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2462\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2463"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2462"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2462"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-staginglink3.com\/aziza-client-site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2462"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}