A civil union is a legal designation given to couples who are together but not married. It was long used by same-sex couples who legally could not get married. A civil union gave two people similar legal protections and rights as a married couple — but only at the state level. Couples in civil unions do not receive the same federal benefits (i.e. tax breaks) as a traditional married couple. Some academic research has looked into the divorce rates among racial minorities in the U.S. The numbers are interesting because it seems certain ethnic groups have more marital instability than others. According to a 2014 survey, Native Americans see the highest divorce rate and Asian Americans see the lowest divorce rate. About 45% of Native Americans and 18% of Asian Americans reported being divorced. People of all races can experience relationship strife and marital conflict. The divorce rate was relatively high in the Black community. About 42% of Black men and women identified as divorcees. Among Latino Americans, women were slightly more likely than men (30% vs. 38%) to report being divorced or married more than once.