The Role of Premarital Cohabitation and Childbearing in Divorce Risk among Same-Sex Couples – Insights from the Finnish Register Data

Maria Ponkilainen , University of Helsinki
Elina Einio, University of Helsinki
Mine Kühn, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research
Mikko Myrskylä, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research and London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)

Same-sex couples, female couples in particular, have been found to have a higher divorce risk than different-sex couples, but the reasons for this are insufficiently understood. Prior studies have speculated but never tested that shorter periods of premarital cohabitation could be associated with female couples’ increased divorce risk. In addition, women in same-sex unions are more likely than men in same-sex unions, but less likely than individuals in different-sex unions, to have prior children from earlier relationships and a child together. It is unknown whether shorter lengths of premarital cohabitation and different contexts of childbearing among same-sex couples could explain their higher divorce risk as compared with different-sex couples. Using Finnish register data on same-sex couples and different-sex couples who entered legal unions in Finland in 2002–2018, we find that shorter lengths of premarital cohabitation are associated with higher divorce risk across couples. Lack of premarital cohabitation increases divorce risk in same-sex couples, but not in different-sex couples. Prior children constitute a smaller threat to union stability of same-sex couples than different-sex couples whereas having a child together does not prevent female couples from divorcing as much as it does for different-sex couples. The results show that premarital cohabitation, prior childbearing, or having a child together do not explain the differences in same-sex couples and different-sex couples’ divorce risks. Our study supports suggestions that the divorce risk differentials between couple types might not be explained by couples' characteristics but rather by their different selection processes into legal unions.

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 Presented in Session P1. Fertility, Family, Life Course