Dejting, icke-monogami och socialt stöd - En kvalitativ studie om hur det är att dejta icke-monogamt i en monogam värld

Abstract

This is a qualitative study based on five semi-structured interviews in Sweden. The aim of the study is to explore what experiences non-monogamous people have of dating and the social support surrounding them. The study investigates what effects norms and normative structures have on non-monogamous dating. This is done through a thematic analysis with queer theory, and the underlying theoretical concepts performativity, heteronormativity, mononormativity, relationship escalator and queer temporalities. To help analyze the social support, we have used Bourdieu's (1986) theory about social capital. The results are divided into how it is to date non-monogamous in a monogamous world, and how social support, both formal and informal, is experienced in relation to non-monogamous dating. It shows that mononormativity affects how non-monogamous people choose to date, how they talk about it and the different experiences the participants have with dating. The study also explores what impact formal and informal social support have in dating, and how that support is affected by norms and social capital. The findings show that the most important aspects surrounding social support is to feel accepted and heard, and that one’s non-monogamous relationships aren’t being questioned. We can also see that non-monogamous dating differs from the structural norms in society and that this in some ways affects the participants' dating life, mostly in how and with whom they talk about dating and relationships. Although non-monogamous dating does not follow the norms of society, the challenges of dating are not always that different from monogamous dating.