Quilted Science

Patchwork thoughts on psychology, neuroscience, and human behavior.

by Daniel R. Hawes and Rachael Grazioplene

How Different Are Same-Sex Couples from Different-Sex Couples?

How Different Are Gay Couples?

Published on November 4, 2009 by Daniel R. Hawes in Quilted Science

Today 52.8% of voters in Maine rejected a law legalizing gay marriage. Arguments on both sides of the debate are often highly emotional, and "information" campaigns have at times targeted people's fears more than discussing relevant policy dimensions and welfare concerns (e.g. the right to be included in a partner's health care plan). One far too often stated opposition to gay marriage is the idea that homosexual couples will introduce new meaning to "being married" and thereby erode the institution of marriage; presumably because gay couples are "different". But how different are homosexual marriages from heterosexual marriages really? The 2008 American Community Survey (ACS) provides us with some valuable information on the topic. One finding that sticks out is the fact that married same-sex couples are very similar to different sex-married couples on the most important demographic dimensions. For example, same-sex married couples are similarly educated, earn the same amount of income, and even raise almost the same amount of children. It is especially this last finding that strikes most people as surprising, and hopefully surprise can lead to information-seeking and reconsideration of overhauled attitudes for some. Other interesting facts from the American Community Survey include:

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"More than 1 in 4 (nearly 150,000) same-sex couples designated themselves as spouses.
Many same-sex couples considered themselves to be spouses even though they may not be legally married or in a legally recognized partnership.
By the end of 2008, approximately 32,000 same-sex couples had been married in the US and more than 80,000 same-sex couples registered as reciprocal beneficiaries or domestic partners or were united in civil unions.
Same-sex spouses were identified in every state. However, they were more common in states that permit marriage for same-sex couples or offer other forms of partnership recognition.
Same-sex couples were more likely to call themselves spouses in states that recognize marriages of same-sex couples - 31% of same-sex couples in states with marriage recognition identified themselves as spouses.In states with no form of recognition, only 26% identified as spouses.
Massachusetts, the first state to permit marriage for same-sex couples in 2004, had an estimated 3.63 same-sex spousal couples per 1,000 households in 2008, ranking first among all states. Vermont, which has offered civil unions since 2000, ranked second at 2.71. The remaining top five states ranked by same-sex spouse prevalence were Hawaii (2.43), Utah (2.32), and Wyoming (2.28).
The District of Columbia had the highest prevalence of same-sex unmarried partners per 1,000 households (13.22), followed by Maine (6.81), Washington (5.84), Oregon (5.73), and New York (5.15).
Same-sex couples, both married and unmarried were more prevalent in states that had some form of legal recognition for same-sex couples than in states that had no recognition.
Same-sex couples who identified themselves as spouses differed from same-sex couples who identified themselves as unmarried partners. "

You can find the entire survey report at UCLA-based Williams Institute's web site. There's also this short interview with Williams Distinguished Scholar Gary Gates.

The graphs in this short piece by James Kwak at baseline Scenario are similarly worthwhile.