With same-sex marriage now being legal across the country, it is easy for people, no matter their sexual orientation, to assume that marital problems and divorce rates are similar among heterosexual people and the LGBTQ community. You and other Texas residents may be interested in learning how same-sex marriage and divorce rates compare, as well as the unique challenges same-sex people can experience in their marriages.
As Psychology Today explains, information collected through the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health suggests that same-sex couples who live together, without being married, may end their relationships more often than different-sex married or cohabitating couples. Why is this, you may wonder? In part, “minority stress” is believed to be a significant factor in straining same-sex relationships. Minority stress pertains to numerous factors that minorities like LGBTQ people uniquely experience, such as discrimination, micro-aggressions, harassment, violence and lack of approval from their family and friends about their sexual orientation.
However, data seems to show that same-sex couples in legal marriages may be at least as stable, or more so, than those in heterosexual marriages. This could be due to society’s attitudes changing more favorably toward accepting same-sex marriage. As you may know, any marriage can experience strain and conflict that ultimately ends the relationship, regardless of data or cultural attitudes.
Same-sex marriage is still relatively new in the United States, and people are still learning about how these relationships will fare over the long term. This information is meant to educate you, but it should not replace the advice of a lawyer.
