A closer look at the demographics of same-sex marriage in the United States: Implications for research, practice, and policy.

Abstract

In 2015, the United States Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, setting in motion a sweeping social change for sexual minority people and their romantic relationships. The United States Census Bureau collects demographic data on same-sex couple households, offering an opportunity to better understand the demographic makeup of same-sex marriage today. This knowledge is essential for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers who aim to understand and support same-sex couples' relationships. We used national probability data from the American Community Survey collected in 2021 (the most recent year these data are available) on married and unmarried, cohabiting same-sex and opposite-sex households. Respondents reported their own age, race, ethnicity, education, employment, income, home ownership, and whether they had children living with them in their household. Differences between married and unmarried opposite-sex couples were observed in race, ethnicity, age, and socioeconomic status, consistent with prior research. Many of these demographic gaps also existed for same-sex couples, although these were often smaller. Several of these differences further varied between male and female same-sex couples. Same-sex married couples appear to be more demographically diverse than opposite-sex married couples. However, like opposite-sex couples, same-sex couples from multiple minoritized groups were less likely to be married. Future research is needed to understand drivers of these differences (e.g., different attitudes about marriage or lack of access to marriage) and their impact. Policymakers and clinicians will need to bear these group differences in mind when designing policy and delivering services to support the well-being of sexual minority couples.