Man vs Man, Woman vs Man, Woman vs Woman

I have a lot of interest in human relations.  We have a lot of stereotypes about "most men" being like this, and "most women" being like that.  Certainly these characteristics cannot describe every man or every woman since everyone is so different.  I think it is so fascinating how different people can be, how genetics and environment shape us.  We are each so individualized, so unique.  And in spite of this, it seems that there are some strong generalizations (stereotypes) that sometimes seem to apply to the majority.  But what impact is made from other factors?  Most notably, I have a very big interest in determining some generalized roles in homosexual couples.  I am not saying that I want to create stereotypes or that I want to classify any type of person into any sort of rigid code.  Having grown up in heterosexual relationships both inside and outside of my family, I can certainly use my experience to come to some general conclusions about how men and women work together, the roles they assume with each other and in a family and in society.  But since I have not really had any experience with homosexual relationships, I do not have the same understanding that I have with heterosexual relationships.  I do know some couples who are homosexual, but I am not close enough friends with them to be able to make any kind of general observations or to come to any kinds of conclusions.  Of course you can't really come to any kind of good and reliable conclusions based on the observations of only one or two couples anyway.  But I am interested in knowing how (or if) the roles of man/woman or male/female apply in a homosexual relationship the way they do in heterosexual one.  There are particular traits or characteristics that we tend to associate with the male figure in a relationship, and with the female figure in the relationship.  What happens when there is no male in the relationship, or when there is no female?  Does one of the females take on the role of the male in the relationship she has with another woman?  Or is this a completely different type of relationship, one that does not have the traditional roles that we see with heterosexual couples?  I think, based only on things I've heard but not directly observed, that there tends to be a male/female component even in homosexual relationships.  I have often heard others describe this as, "she's the one (of the two females) that wears the pants (i.e. is the male figure)", etc.  If that is true, if humans adopt a male/female role even in a male/male or female/female relationship, isn't that interesting?  It makes you wonder what the purpose of that would be.  If you are a female attracted to a female, why would you need a male-based role model in that relationship?  It seems that perhaps it is our view of these things as "male" and "female" when they are not truly "male" and "female".  It seems that we would have to realign our thinking away from the gender stereotypes that have been drummed into our heads ad infinitum.  It suggests that we would need to look at tasks and behaviors in a way that is not linked to gender.

I hope I have not offended anyone with my open speculation about this.  I am honestly interested in this and certainly did not intend to upset anyone.  And I certainly welcome any comments about how you feel about this subject, and any other subject discussed here!