Abstract:

Gay marriages have attracted attention in reports and studies in recent years， but there are very few studies of lesbian marriages. Lesbian marriages significantly differ from those among gay men and the two should not be put into the same category. With the method of Internet participation observation， this paper examines the Chinese lesbian women’s marriages and families. The author selected three focal topics in the Internet forums： marriage in form only， extramarital affairs， and parentchild relationships. The analysis was around the reality of the marriagerelated pressures and dilemmas experienced by the lesbians. The reflection was about the limitations of the traditional marriage system and its expulsion of the homosexual partnership. Finally， a proposal was advanced that we should gradually raise people’s awareness so that it would be possible to have the traditional marriage system revised so that all parties involved would enjoy a satisfying identity and life security.

Key words: extramarital affairs, lesbian, marriage in form only, parentchild relationship, traditional marriage system,