Perhaps you can relate?
Same-sex couples are happier than straight couples, a recent study finds.
After consulting with more than 25,000 people in the UK, over 9,000 in Australia, Janeen Baxter and Francisco Perales of the University of Queensland found that gay and lesbian couples tend to be happy, if not the happiest.
Said Professor Baxter:
“Our results provide robust evidence to combat deep-rooted and erroneous social perceptions of same-sex relationships being conflictual, unhappy, and dysfunctional.
“In fact, relationship quality in same-sex couples was as high as in heterosexual couples in the United Kingdom, and higher in Australia.
“Relative to heterosexual relationships, same-sex relationships tend to have more equitable domestic work arrangements, less defined gender roles, and a greater sense of social connectedness to a community.”
Meanwhile, the study also found that bisexual people tended to be less happy in their relationships when compared to gay or straight couples.
“The lowest relationship quality in both countries was reported by bisexual individuals.”
“Our findings highlight the need to give further attention to bisexual individuals as a distinct group because their outcomes are comparatively poor,” Baxter says.
Based on study results, researchers inferred that in the absence of strict gender roles, same-sex couples tended to have stronger relationships.
Said Baxter:
“Relative to heterosexual relationships, same-sex relationships tend to have more equitable domestic work arrangements, less defined gender roles, and a greater sense of social connectedness to a community.”
Straight couples on the other hand tend to reaffirm gender roles, which can be destructive to a relationship.
“Unequal household burdens are associated with poor relationship outcomes, including marital conflict and divorce.
“If gender display is not as salient in same-sex couples and these relationships are more egalitarian than heterosexual couples, higher levels of relationship quality might be expected.”
In addition to a more equitable split in domestic duties, researchers pointed to the ability for gay couples to identify with a greater community as a potential source for greater happiness.
As well:
“Individuals in same-sex relationships may be more likely than those in different-sex relationships to have high relationship investment…”
Ultimately, the researchers concluded their results, “provide robust evidence to combat deep-rooted and erroneous social perceptions of same-sex relationships being conflictual, unhappy, and dysfunctional.”
Our findings support policies that seek to legalize same-sex marriage and parenting rights.”
