If you’re in a same-sex relationship, you probably cheered the 2015 Supreme Court decision that ended marriage inequality throughout the nation — with good reason! Unfortunately, no union is ever guaranteed to last, no matter what the genders of the couple involved.
Here’s what the newest research has to say about the odds that your same-sex relationship will last after a study followed couples of all types for 12 years. Some of these facts may surprise you:
Gender may predict your odds of splitting up.
Male-male relationships are the most stable and female-female relationships are the least. Only about 14.5% of committed male-male couples broke up, while 29.3% of female-female couples fell apart over time. By comparison, about 18.6% of male-female couples eventually split.
Women aren’t fickle, just clear.
While female-female couples tend to be the least stable, there’s a lot of individual variances — and some good news: Every year a female-female couple stays together, their odds of a split go down by an incredible 13%. This indicates that women may commit fast, but they’re also quick to realize when they’ve made a mistake — and that’s not a bad thing. (There are similar findings regarding women in heterosexual marriages.)
Some things don’t make a difference.
Researchers discovered that a relationship’s legal status makes no difference in the rate of breakups. Same-sex couples who were legally wed ended their relationships at about the same rate as those who weren’t. Plus, income doesn’t appear to be much of a factor in determining the odds of a breakup in any relationship — nor does the presence or absence of children.
So what are your real odds of breaking up with your partner or spouse? It’s hard to say. What’s important is that you recognize that breakups aren’t all bad — especially if you and your partner are willing to work together to come to an amicable parting.