Many people consider homosexuality as being deviant, but as far as happiness is concerned, homosexual couples seem to be happier than heterosexual couples. A study made by researchers at the University of Washington, San Diego State University and the University of Vermont, and published in "Developmental Psychology", focused on how sexual orientation and legal status impacted relationship quality.

The study was made on 65 male and 138 female homosexual couples with civil union, 23 male and 61 female homosexual couples with no civil union and 55 heterosexual married couples, over a three-year follow-up. One spouse of each heterosexual couple was a sibling to a partner of a civil union couple, and the couples were comparable in what concerns race/ethnicity and age.

The subjects completed questionnaires concerning their demographics, status of their relationship, number of children, sexual behavior, frequency of contact with their parents with and without their partners and perceived social support. Gay or lesbian subjects also stated their disclosure of their sexual orientation to their family, peers and work mates.

Homosexual couples appeared to be very similar to heterosexual couples on most couple variables, and the legal status of a relationship was not an important factor in homosexual relationships.

"This may be because those couples in Vermont who sought out the legal protection of a civil union might have legalized their relationship more for symbolic value than for commitment reasons, which did not affect their day-to-day interactions," said lead author Dr. Kimberly F. Balsam.

"However, the same sex-couples who were not in civil unions were more likely to have ended their relationships compared to those couples in same-sex civil unions or heterosexual marriages. This suggests that the protections afforded by a legalized relationship may impact same-sex relationships, something the study's authors plan to follow up on in future research," said Balsam.

Homosexual couples, no matter their civil union status, appeared to be more satisfied with their relationships than married heterosexual couples, reporting more positive feelings toward their partners and decreased conflict in comparison with heterosexual pairs. It seems that societal pressures and norms, besides the legal status as a couple, force heterosexual couples to remain together, even if unhappy.

"Alternatively, most long-term same-sex couples have to stay together by their own will and hard work since they don't have society's forces on their side," Balsam added.