Same-Sex and Different-Sex Cohabiting Couple Relationship Stability

Abstract

Relationship stability is a key indicator of well-being, but most U.S.-based research has been limited to different-sex couples. The 2008 panel of the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) provides an untapped data resource to analyze relationship stability of same-sex cohabiting, different-sex cohabiting, and different-sex married couples (n = 5,701). The advantages of the SIPP data include the recent, nationally representative, and longitudinal data collection; a large sample of same-sex cohabitors; respondent and partner socioeconomic characteristics; and identification of a state-level indicator of a policy stating that marriage is between one man and one woman (i.e., DOMA). We tested competing hypotheses about the stability of same-sex versus different-sex cohabiting couples that were guided by incomplete institutionalization, minority stress, relationship investments, and couple homogamy perspectives (predicting that same-sex couples would be less stable) as well as economic resources (predicting that same-sex couples would be more stable). In fact, neither expectation was supported: results indicated that same-sex cohabiting couples typically experience levels of stability that are similar to those of different-sex cohabiting couples. We also found evidence of contextual effects: living in a state with a constitutional ban against same-sex marriage was significantly associated with higher levels of instability for same- and different-sex cohabiting couples. The level of stability in both same-sex and different-sex cohabiting couples is not on par with that of different-sex married couples. The findings contribute to a growing literature on health and well-being of same-sex couples and provide a broader understanding of family life.

Family Diversity and Child Health: Where Do Same‐Sex Couple Families Fit?

“…Evidence is mixed, however, as to whether same-sex couples exhibit similar levels of relationship stability when compared with different-sex married couple families (Kurdek, 2004(Kurdek, , 2006Lau, 2012;Manning, Brown, & Stykes, 2016), and no studies to date have examined family stability patterns among same-sex couples with children. Future efforts to collect the kind of data to fully explore these questions are imperative.…”

Measuring the Influence of Legally Recognized Partnerships on the Health and Well-Being of Same-Sex Couples: Utility of the California Health Interview Survey

“…26 Moreover, recent studies have found that people in legally partnered same-sex relationships have higher relationship stability, more financial resources, and better health outcomes than couples who cohabit without legal recognition. 27,28 In addition, LeBlanc et al have hypothesized that lesbians and gay men may not experience the health benefits of marriage exactly as their heterosexual counterparts, as the individuals in these same-sex partnerships may experience individual-and/or couple-level stressors related to internalized homophobia, homoprejudice, and/or the lack of universal support for same-sex rather than opposite-sex marriage. 29 It is not possible to explore these ideas with this small sample; nevertheless, active studies as described above and future work may continue to find disparate health and other outcomes for legally recognized same-and opposite-sex partners-perhaps even future analyses with a larger sample that includes recently released CHIS data.…”

Demografía de las parejas homosexuales en España

“…Regardless, this obligates us to compare same-sex couples only with heterosexual cohabiting couples. This was done in a recent study with British data conducted by Manning, Brown & Stykes (2014): it demonstrated that break up rates are greater for same-sex cohabiting couples, especially in the case of men. However, in reference to the factors associated with instability, there is considerable similarity between heterosexual and homosexual couples.…”