Welcome to the Survey of Heterosexual Women in Mixed-Orientation Relationships
This site is the home of a new survey designed specifically to help in the study of mixed-orientation relationships. As you may know, mixed-orientation relationships are those in which one partner is straight and the other is not. If you are here, you have probably been a part of one of these relationships. Please read to the end of the page before deciding whether you would like to be a part of the survey. I know it looks long, but it's important.
The Research
This page is the entrance to a survey designed for heterosexual (straight) women who have been or are currently part of a mixed-orientation relationship. There are about 150 questions and it should take about thirty (30) minutes to complete. There are sections included on psychological health, feelings of support from society, non-identifying personal information, relationship status, children, and other relevant topics.
This survey was created by Cecily Luft (see below) and is part of a research project aimed at broadening the available research in this area. As you may or may not know, very little research on straight women in mixed-orientation relationships exists. This survey will be the basis for a Master's project at Cornell University and several papers and articles that will serve to expand the field.
The Participants (YOU)
People eligible to participate in this survey are women over the age of 18 who speak English well and who have been or are part of a mixed-orientation relationship. This particular study is on women who live in the United States or Canada, though women from around the globe are welcome to participate if desired.
Participation is voluntary. That means that you can decide, at any time, not to take or finish the survey. There is nothing wrong with deciding not to complete the survey, so feel free to leave if you want to. If you begin the survey and decide not to finish it, you can take the provided link to the exit page. Be aware that once you begin the survey you cannot take it again, so if you leave early you cannot start over. Once again, if you feel uncomfortable or want to leave the survey please feel free to do so at any time.
The Researcher
Cecily A. Luft, B.S. is a graduate student at Cornell University in the department of Human Development. This survey is both a part of her course of study and of personal interest to her, as she too was once the partner of a same-sex attracted man. Ms. Luft hopes that this study will help others and expand the field of research on mixed-orientation relationships.The research is being overseen by Dr. Ritch Savin-Williams, a full Professor at Cornell University.
The Benefits of Participating
The benefits of being a part of this survey include: the knowledge that you have helped others understand the mixed-orientation relationship, and the chance to get anonymous updates on current research developments.
The Possible Risks of Participating
This survey might be emotionally charged for some or all people who choose to participate. Mixed-orientation relationships are emotional, as all relationships are, and there may be some understandable stress involved with answering some of the questions. Please feel free to leave the survey at any time if you feel you cannot continue (there is an exit link on each page).
Privacy
Once you have decided whether to take the survey, there will be some questions about your personal information (your last name, email address, and birth date). This information is being collected only to make sure that people do not take the survey more than once. Your information will go to a separate database that will never be seen by anyone involved in the research. Your identifying information WILL NOT be accessible to the researcher or other people taking the survey. Other personal information from the survey will only be seen by the researcher and will simply be used to help get a clearer picture of straight women in mixed-orientation relationships as a group.
Questions???
If you have any specific questions please send me an email at . If you do not want to send your usual email address you can get a free, web based email address by clicking here.