title: Same-Sex and Different-Sex Cohabiting Couple Relationship Stability.
abstract: Relationship stability is a key indicator of well-being, but most U.S.-based research has been limited to different-sex couples. The 2008 panel of the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) provides an untapped data resource to analyze relationship stability of same-sex cohabiting, different-sex cohabiting, and different-sex married couples (n = 5,701). The advantages of the SIPP data include the recent, nationally representative, and longitudinal data collection; a large sample of same-sex cohabitors; respondent and partner socioeconomic characteristics; and identification of a state-level indicator of a policy stating that marriage is between one man and one woman (i.e., DOMA). We tested competing hypotheses about the stability of same-sex versus different-sex cohabiting couples that were guided by incomplete institutionalization, minority stress, relationship investments, and couple homogamy perspectives (predicting that same-sex couples would be less stable) as well as economic resources (predicting that same-sex couples would be more stable). In fact, neither expectation was supported: results indicated that same-sex cohabiting couples typically experience levels of stability that are similar to those of different-sex cohabiting couples. We also found evidence of contextual effects: living in a state with a constitutional ban against same-sex marriage was significantly associated with higher levels of instability for same- and different-sex cohabiting couples. The level of stability in both same-sex and different-sex cohabiting couples is not on par with that of different-sex married couples. The findings contribute to a growing literature on health and well-being of same-sex couples and provide a broader understanding of family life.
authors.affiliation: Sociology Department and Center for Family and Demographic Research, Bowling Green State University, 233 Williams HallBowling, Green, OH, 43403, USA. wmannin@bgsu.edu.
authors.forename: Wendy D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Manning
authors.affiliation: Sociology Department and Center for Family and Demographic Research, Bowling Green State University, 233 Williams HallBowling, Green, OH, 43403, USA.
authors.forename: Susan L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX, 77341-2446, USA.
authors.forename: J Bart
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Stykes
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D005260:Female; D006716:Homosexuality / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D018454:Spouses / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States
keywords: Cohabitation; LGBT; Marriage; Union stability