Same-sex marriage has been legal in Virginia and around the country since 2014, following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Obergefell v. Hodges. As the number of couples choosing to marry has greatly increased, some marriages have ended in divorce. Same-sex couples deal with the same types of issues in marriage that heterosexual couples do, so, unsurprisingly, some marriages will end in divorce.
Study shows lesbian couples likelier to divorce
A recent study that was conducted in the U.K. showed that lesbian couples are much likelier to end their marriages in divorce than gay male married couples. Like the U.S., same-sex marriage has been recognized in the U.K. since 2014. As the rates of same-sex marriages have quickly increased, some of the people in same-sex marriages in the U.K. have divorced their spouses. Researchers found that 822 same-sex divorce petitions were filed in 2019 in the U.K., and almost three-quarters involved lesbian couples. The ratio of lesbians choosing to divorce versus gay males choosing to divorce has remained constant with lesbian couples accounting for 72% of same-sex divorces in 2019 and similar percentages dating back to 2016.
Reasons behind same-sex divorces
The reasons cited for choosing to divorce were similar to those frequently cited by heterosexual couples. Overall, 65% said they chose to divorce because of their partners’ unreasonable behavior, which the researchers defined as including adultery. The researchers pointed out that women are two times as likely as men to file petitions for divorce in general.
People who believe they are at the end of their marriages might want to talk to a family law attorney who is experienced with handling same-sex divorces. An attorney might help clients successfully navigate the unique issues they might face when ending their marriages.
