Same-sex couples in legally bound relationships appear to stay in their relationships longer than those who are not legally recognized, according to a new study published in Developmental Psychology.
The study is a five-year project that began in 2002, the year same-sex civil unions were legalized in Vermont.
Robert-Jay Green, executive director of LGBT research organization Rockway Institute, said the study shows that civil union status itself may help preserve relationships.
"There are many ways that a legal couple status may support a relationship -- more family understanding, acceptance by friends and coworkers, greater commitment that results from a public declaration, and enhanced legal protections in the form of health care benefits and community property," Green said in a statement on Tuesday.
Sixty-five male and 138 female couples who entered civil unions in 2002 were asked to provide information. The study also included 23 male and 61 female couples not in civil unions and 55 heterosexual married couples who were related to the same-sex couples in civil unions. Same-sex couples not in civil unions were more likely to have ended their relationship than same-sex couples in civil unions or heterosexual married couples in the study. About 9% of same-sex couples not in civil unions ended their relationship, while only 3.8% of same-sex couples in a civil union ended their relationships.
The study was conducted by Kimberly F. Balsam and Theodore P. Beauchaine of the University of Washington, Esther D. Rothblum of San Diego State University, and Sondra E. Solomon of the University of Vermont. (The Advocate)
