Divorce in same-sex and opposite-sex couples: The roles of intermarriage, religious affiliation, and income

Abstract

Studies have shown that the risk of divorce is higher for same-sex couples, especially for female couples, compared to opposite-sex couples. However, the underlying reasons are still poorly understood, despite their potential to deepen our understanding of gender roles and intersecting identities. We examine whether nationality intermarriage, religious affiliation, education, or income of the spouses plays any role in explaining the heightened divorce risk among same-sex couples. Drawing on prospective register data of same-sex couples (n = 3780) and opposite-sex couples (n = 339,401) from Finland, the results suggest that income and religious affiliation play roles—although modest—in explaining female couples’ heightened divorce risks, whereas intermarriage is more important for male couples. Intermarriage between a foreign-born husband and a native-born spouse appears to destabilize marriages, regardless of the latter spouse’s gender, indicating that being a man in a host society can strain marriages. Dissimilarity in spouses’ religious affiliations increases divorce risk in same-sex couples, particularly in male couples. Elevated income of the presumed primary breadwinner (husband or older spouse) stabilizes marriages, regardless of the gender composition of the couple, whereas increased income of the secondary breadwinner (wife or younger spouse) stabilizes same-sex marriages only. The implication is that intersections of gender norms and other identities shape divorce risks.