Divorce is never easy, but it can be especially problematic for same-sex couples as it was such a hard-fought victory. Throughout the United States and the world, there has been a marked increase in the number of same-sex divorces over the past few years. And, while many more lesbian divorces have been seen than gay divorces, there has been an increase in both. The question is why the number of divorces is increasing.
Initial divorce rivalry
According to some experts, the initial divorce wave may be attributed to the excitement for the ability to get married in the first place. Many got married to validate their relationships as public acknowledgements of their love, even if they were not necessarily ready to be married. And, as much as opposite-sex couples who get married too early often get divorced quickly, so too do their same-sex counterparts.
Traditional female barriers do not exist
Another reason that may also explain why the number of lesbian divorces far outnumber the number of gay (male-male) divorces is that the traditional barriers to divorce for women do not apply to lesbian divorces. This includes a fear of violence, control, children, financial burdens, inequality, etc.
They are just catching up
Other experts argue that as marriage equality normalizes culturally and legally over time, the numbers of same-sex and opposite-sex marriages and divorces should normalize and be largely the same. This is a natural progression that may take decades. However, this also means that we will see the number of same-sex divorces increase dramatically in the near-term as they started at zero in Carlsbad, California, and throughout the world.