Exposure and Emotional Reactivity to Daily Stressors in Same‐Sex and Different‐Sex Marriages

ABSTRACT Objective This study examines differences in exposure and emotional reactivity to daily stressors for women and men in same‐sex and different‐sex marriages. Background Prior research on daily stress processes in marriage suggests that women may face heightened exposure and emotional reactivity to daily stressors compared to men. However, prior studies have focused on women and men in different‐sex couples, raising questions about whether and how gendered daily stress processes unfold differently for women and men in same‐sex marriages. Method Ten days of dyadic diary data were used to examine variation in daily stress processes in same‐sex and different‐sex married couples ( n = 756 individuals; 378 couples). Mixed effects multilevel modeling was used to estimate individual gender and dyad gender (i.e., same‐sex vs. different‐sex) effects on (1) exposure and (2) emotional reactivity to daily stressors (i.e., same‐day association between daily stressor exposure and daily psychological distress). Results Women reported more daily stressors than men, regardless of marriage composition. Emotional reactivity to daily stressors was especially heightened for women in different‐sex marriages and, to a lesser extent, women and men in same‐sex marriages compared to men in different‐sex marriages. Conclusion Results highlight the importance of a dyadic perspective and underscore the need to include same‐sex couples in studies of gendered daily stress processes in marriage.