Money, Couples and the Self

A key part of our enquiry into the lives of young same-sex couples focused on the question of money management. In this chapter we explore whether practices and meanings of money appear to be differ­ent to understandings derived from studies of heterosexual relation­ships. The question of money management has been a significant one in studies of heterosexual relationships for some time (Nyman and Dema, 2007). Money and how it is handled between men and women, especially in marriage, became a foundational framework for explora­tions of gender inequalities hidden within the private sphere. Money was and is associated with power in heterosexual couples (Burgoyne, 1990; Vogler, 1998; Vogler and Pahl, 1994). Here we explore whether money and power can be equated in the same way for same-sex couples and consider whether other meanings can be derived from the practices they engage in.