A study that examined same-sex marriages in Norway found that lesbian couples are twice as likely to divorce in the first five years of marriage compared to heterosexual couples. Male same-sex couples however, are only 8% more likely to divorce than straight couples within the same time period.
The study found that almost 60% of Norway’s 1993 lesbian marriages ended in divorce. Divorce rates in Norway are higher among married lesbian couples that live in the countryside compared to those living in urban areas. Male same-sex couples that live outside of the city are also more like to divorce than those that don’t.
Researches analyzed 5,187 same-sex marriages between 1993 and 2018 .The study titled “Same-sex Marriage Over 26 Years: Marriage and Divorce Trends in Rural and Urban Norway” was recently published in the Journal of Family History.
In an interview with Norwegian outlet Aftenposten, senior researcher Ruhne Zahl Olsen said that he wasn’t surprised by the results as they’ve been the same in other countries.