Would gay couples benefit if breaking up were harder to do?
Writer John Cloud looks at how the differences between straight and gay relationships factored into his own breakup and that of same-sex couples in general. Although studies point to better communications and other dynamics between gay partners, vs. straight couples, researchers also have found a higher breakup rate; in one report, 21% of same-sex couples ended their relationship, vs. 14% of married straight couples. "Legalizing same-sex marriage would probably help prolong gay relationships, if only because of the financial and legal benefits married couples enjoy," he writes. TIME (01/17)