TIME — Jan 17 — Many people, gay and straight, assume gay men are worse at maintaining
relationships than straight people are. The psychologists found that when gay men initiate
difficult discussions with their partners, the partners are worse than
straight or lesbian couples at "repairing"–essentially, making up. That’s one reason gays and lesbians end relationships sooner
than heterosexuals. In a 2004 paper, psychology professor Lawrence
Kurdek of Wright State University in Ohio reported that over a 12-year
period, 21% of gay and lesbian couples broke up; only 14% of married
straight couples did. Legalizing same-sex marriage would probably help prolong gay
relationships. For gays, breaking up usually means simply moving
out, not hiring divorce attorneys. FULL ARTICLE @ TIME
Thanks for posting this.
I was a little surprised that only 21% were broken up after twelve years. But then that may have to do with age as well.
Thanks for posting this.
I was a little surprised that only 21% were broken up after twelve years. But then that may have to do with age as well.
“The psychologists found that when gay men initiate difficult discussions with their partners…That’s one reason gays and lesbians end relationships sooner than heterosexuals.”
So if one or the other(gays vs lesbians) is worse at making up, that means both are worse? I guess the statement must not be worded correctly. I would agree that gay men are worse at making up than lesbians and heterosexual couples based on my own personal experience, but there seems to a mis-mashing of catagories in this study that hints at the statistics being skewed. For example, the study focused on married heterosexual couples vs committed homosexual couples. Committed is not the same as married. It should have focused on couples that had at least been joined by ceremony like more recent studies have. Otherwise, the data is meaningless.
“The psychologists found that when gay men initiate difficult discussions with their partners…That’s one reason gays and lesbians end relationships sooner than heterosexuals.”
So if one or the other(gays vs lesbians) is worse at making up, that means both are worse? I guess the statement must not be worded correctly. I would agree that gay men are worse at making up than lesbians and heterosexual couples based on my own personal experience, but there seems to a mis-mashing of catagories in this study that hints at the statistics being skewed. For example, the study focused on married heterosexual couples vs committed homosexual couples. Committed is not the same as married. It should have focused on couples that had at least been joined by ceremony like more recent studies have. Otherwise, the data is meaningless.