Two Decades of Same-Sex Marriage in Sweden: A Demographic Account of Developments in Marriage, Childbearing, and Divorce
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Longitudinal population register cohort study (CEBM Level 3 by design analogy)
OpenAlex W2969361676 · doi:10.1007/s13524-019-00847-6
What was done
The authors used complete Swedish population register data from 1995 to 2012 to assess period trends in same-sex marriage formation, divorce, and childbearing. The study spans the 1995 introduction of registered partnerships through the 2009 introduction of formal same-sex marriage, comparing male same-sex, female same-sex, and opposite-sex unions.
What was found
The abstract reports no numeric values, effect sizes, or confidence intervals. Directionally, female same-sex union formation increased rapidly over the period, while male same-sex union formation grew more slowly. The 2009 marriage law showed little effect on union formation pace, whereas legal changes supporting parental rights coincided with increased female same-sex union formation and childbearing. Marital divorce risks were highest in female same-sex unions, though stabilizing at lower levels by the end of the period, while male same-sex divorce risks converged with those of opposite-sex marriages.
Why it matters
This study provides long-term demographic evidence on same-sex marriage and divorce dynamics across legal eras, highlighting distinct gender-specific patterns in union stability and parental rights impacts.
Limits
The abstract provides no exact sample sizes, hazard ratios, or test statistics. Findings from Swedish administrative data may not generalize to countries with different sociolegal contexts, and register records cannot explain the underlying relationship dynamics driving union dissolution.
Cited by
- partial Gay male married couples have a divorce rate around 30%, whereas lesbian married couples have a divorce rate around 60%.