Molly Smith

When Massachusetts became the first state in the United States to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in 2004, speculation about the consequences provoked heated debate. Advocates argued that the policy would strengthen same-sex households and improve outcomes for their children, whereas opponents argued that the policy would diminish the value of marriage for different-sex couples. New research by the RAND Corporation and UCLA evaluates the scientific evidence that has accumulated over the last twenty years to determine whether these claims came to pass. In this report, the researchers summarize almost 100 scientific studies about the effects of legal recognition for same-sex couples and analyze national data about whether rates of marriage, divorce, and attitudes about marriage shifted in response to same-sex marriage policies.

Improved Mental and Physical Health for LGBTQ+ People

As a stigmatized group, LGBQ+ people experience worse mental and physical health compared to heterosexual and cisgender people. The availability of legal marriage, however, creates a more supportive environment that validates same-sex relationships, and can therefore improve well-being for LGBTQ+ people. Legal marriage was indeed associated with lower stress, greater satisfaction with life, and reduced depression for LGBTQ+ people. For teens, legal marriage policy was associated with a significant decline in suicide attempts. In contrast, when states issued bans on same-sex marriage, LGBTQ+ mental health suffered, and this was reflected in increases in anxiety and decreases in life satisfaction. Overall, same-sex couples experienced more stable relationships following legal marriage policies, and married couples reported being more committed and satisfied in their relationships than non-married same-sex couples. Same-sex marriages were no different from different-sex relationships in rates of divorce.

In terms, of physical health, legal marriage was also associated with improvements. Sexually transmitted infections declined following the implementation of legal marriage policies, and LGBTQ+ experienced less problematic substance. Gay and bisexual men in particular, experienced better health outcomes, and were more likely to use HIV prevention medicine (PrEP) and openly discuss sexual health with their healthcare providers in states with legal same-sex marriage. An important takeaway is that many of these benefits were not only observed in same-sex couples who decided to marry, but rather for LGBTQ+ individuals in general. In other words, simply living in a state in which local policies affirm your identity is beneficial for well-being.

Financial Benefits

When same-sex couples are able to marry, they are granted the host of financial and legal benefits that accompany being recognized as a legal family. This includes being able to receive health insurance through a spouse’s employer, being able to file taxes jointly, and being able to claim spousal Social Security benefits. In general, same-sex couples who got married experienced financial benefits, including higher earnings and better health insurance coverage for themselves and their children.

Rates of Marriage and Divorce

By analyzing decades of national marriage and divorce data, the researchers found no evidence of any declines in marriage in the general population following legal same-sex marriage policies. Rather, they identify a possible increase in marriage rates. This increase was not only due to new same-sex couples marrying, and might instead indicate that different-sex couples began to marry more. There was no evidence of any changes in divorce rates.

Attitudes About Marriage

Opponents of legal marriage for same-sex couples argued that this policy would undermine the institution of marriage for different-sex couples and result in fewer different-sex couples wanting to get married. The report finds no evidence for these claims. By analyzing how high school seniors feel about marriage, they found some improvement in general attitudes toward marriage following legal same-sex marriage. For attitudes toward same-sex marriage specifically, there was no evidence of negative backlash after the policies were implemented. Instead, attitudes improved over time, and over 70% of Americans now approve of same-sex marriage.

References

Karney, B. R., Zaber, M. A., Smith, M. G., Mann S., AlFakhri, M., Coe, J., Ryan, J., Gadwah-Meaden, C., Mallory, C., Sears, B., & Garber, C. (2024). Twenty Years of Legal Marriage for Same-Sex Couples in the United States: Evidence Review and New Analyses. Santa Monica, CA, RAND Corporation. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA2912-1.html