Gay marriages are the least likely to end, a new study has shown.
Two men who get hitched in the US have better odds of making it than their counterparts in lesbian and straight marriages, according to research by the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law.
The study, which tracked more than 500 couples in Vermont over the course of 12 years, also revealed that women in same-sex marriages were the most likely to break up.
Unhappy lesbian couple sitting on sofa in living room
Lesbian unions are twice as likely as gay marriages and 1.5 times as likely as straight marriages to end, according to the research.
Professor Esther Rothblum, the study’s author and a visiting scholar at the Williams Institute who also teaches women’s studies at San Diego State University, said that one explanation was the results was that women expected more than men.
“Other studies on heterosexual couples have found that women have higher standards for relationship quality than men,” she said.
“We suspect that similar dynamics may be at play with the lesbian couples in our study, leading to the higher dissolution rate.”
The idea that women strive for a better quality of relationship is backed up by a study published last year by researchers at the University of Queensland which showed that lesbian couples are happier than straight ones.
The Williams Institute research also revealed the reasons why same-sex unions last.
For lesbian couples, with every extra year that the relationship lasts, the odds of a breakup are reduced by a huge 13 percent.
If you’re a learned pair of female lovers, you’re also better-suited to the world of relationships, with each year of education causing the odds of a split to plummet by 16 percent.
Older couples are also less likely to break up.
If you’re wondering whether having children will help or damage your marriage’s chances of lasting, the study found that having a baby has no effect.
Another author of the study, Kimberly Balsam from Palo Alto University, said the study was “crucial in combating stereotypes about same-sex couples,” adding that she hoped it would “inform policy and program development to support healthy relationships for all couples.”
Another study published earlier this month discovered that no-one is completely straight.
The author of the research, Ritch C. Savin-Williams, explained that the study proved sexuality was a “continuum,” adding that he wants it to help clear up misconceptions and stigma about bisexual people – in particular, bisexual men.
“Men have gotten so much cultural crap put on them that even if a man does have some sexual attraction to guys, they would never say it,” Savin-Williams said.
