Study Compares Demographic Characteristics Between Same-sex And Different-sex Couples

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STUDY COMPARES DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS BETWEEN SAME-SEX AND DIFFERENT-SEX COUPLES

LOS ANGELES, CA — There are nearly 650,000 same-sex couples in the United States, of which approximately 114,100 are legally married and over 108,600 are in civil unions or registered domestic partnerships. In a new research brief released by Gary Gates, Distinguished Scholar at UCLA School of Law’s Williams Institute, summarizes the demographic characteristics of same-sex couples and compares them to different-sex couples. The analyses highlight trends and changes in the demographic diversity of same-sex couples and assess the degree to which similar changes are occurring among different-sex couples.

Key findings include:

Children: As of 2011, about one in five same-sex couples are raising children under age 18. Among different-sex couples the proportion with children is 43.5%.

Race/Ethnicity: About a quarter of individuals in same-sex couples are non-white and they are generally as racially and ethnically diverse as those in different-sex couples, though individuals in same-sex couples are less likely to be Asian, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander.

Veterans: About 13% of same-sex couples include a veteran, and slightly less than 1% include a spouse or partner who has been on active duty in the last year.

Health Insurance: Same-sex couples are less likely than different-sex couples to have both spouses or partners covered by health insurance (76.5 v. 84%, respectively), and twice as likely to have only one spouse or partner insured (17% v. 8%, respectively).

The report is based on data from the US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS), 2005 through 2011. The complete report, including additional finding, can be found here: http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/ACS-2013.pdf —Staff

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