- The warning signs of divorce look different in LGBTQ couples when compared to their heterosexual peers.
- Relationship expert Adam P. Romero told Business Insider that minority stress, or the unique pressures faced by members of a marginalized group, is one of the main causes of divorce in LGBTQ couples.
- We rounded up eight factors that psychologists have found can predict divorce including internalized homophobia, job discrimination, and unequal paternity leave policies.
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LGBTQ couples are marrying at higher rates - but like all good things, sometimes those unions come to bitter ends.
However, relationship experts say they aren't just falling out of love. Unlike their heterosexual peers, LGBTQ couples experience emotional triggers like discrimination and prejudice that can affect how they interact with each other. Social scientists call this issue "minority stress," or the chronically high levels of stress faced by people in a stigmatized group.
"Research suggests the stress related to living in a society that doesn't completely value their sexual orientation can create strife in the relationship," Adam P. Romero, a co-editor of "LGBTQ Divorce and Relationship Dissolution: Psychological and Legal Perspectives and Implications for Practice," and director of Federal Policy at the William's Institute, told Business Insider.
There are roughly 646,500 same-sex married couples in the US, according to a 2019 report by the William's Institute. For LGBTQ couples, the odds of breaking up are about 0% to 1.8% annually, which is slightly less than their heterosexual peers, who have a 2% divorce rate.
Everything from having in-laws who are unsupportive to a workplace that offers unequal parental leave for same-sex parents can wreak havoc on LGBTQ relationships.
Below, we've rounded up eight factors that predict divorce in LGBTQ couples.