Same-Sex Sexuality and the Risk of Divorce: Findings from Two National Studies

ABSTRACT

Despite symbolic linkages between heterosexuality and marriage, and a pervasive heteronormative ideology of romantic love, little population-representative research examines whether same-sex sexuality – desire/attraction, behavior, and gay, lesbian, or bisexual identity – increases the likelihood of divorce from an different-sex spouse. We examine this association using data from the 1992 National Health and Social Life Survey and the 2011–2013 National Survey of Family Growth. In both sub-studies, multivariate logistic regression analyses indicate that same-sex sexuality reduces the odds of ever marrying. However, among the once-married, same-sex desire/attraction, sexual behavior, and gay, lesbian, or bisexual identity respectively increase the odds of different-sex divorce net of demographic and early-life factors. Same-sex sexuality puts a brake on divorce by preventing some different-sex marriages that would ultimately end in divorce, but is associated with an increase risk of different-sex divorce among once-married individuals.

KEYWORDS:

• Divorce
• marriage
• homosexuality
• same-sex sexuality
• lesbian
• gay
• bisexual (LGB)
• heteronormativity
• romantic love
• sociology

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.