New Study Offers First Demographic Picture of Same-sex Spouses

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Williams Institute for
Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy at UCLA Law issued a report today
analyzing newly released data from the US Census Bureau. The study examines
data from the 2008 American Community Survey (ACS).

For the first time, the Census Bureau has released data in which same-sex
couples who refer to one another as "husband" or "wife" are differentiated
from those who refer to one another as "unmarried partners." This study is the
first to examine the difference and similarities among same-sex couples and
married different-sex couples in the ACS.

More than one-quarter of the estimated 565,000 same-sex couples in the United
States designated themselves as spouses. Same-sex spouses were reported in
every state.

"While nearly 150,000 same-sex couples consider themselves to be spouses, we
estimate that 32,000 same-sex couples were legally married in the United
States by the end of 2008," said Gary J. Gates, the Williams Distinguished
Scholar and the study's author. Some couples may have had religious ceremonies
or commitment ceremonies, others may be in civil unions or registered domestic
partnerships, and some may simply believe themselves to have a marriage-like
relationship regardless of their legal relationship status.

The report finds that same-sex spouses are more common in states that permit
marriage for same-sex couples or some form of legal recognition. For example,
Massachusetts, in which same-sex have been able to legally marry since 2004,
has 3.63 same-sex spousal couples per 1,000 households, the most of any state.

When comparing same-sex spouses to same-sex unmarried couples and to married
different-sex couples, the report finds many similarities between same-sex and
different-sex spouses. They are similar in terms of age, education, household
income, and homeownership rates.

Other notable findings include:
-- 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 spouses were more likely to be female; 56% of same-sex
spouses
were female while unmarried same-sex partners were evenly split
between
the sexes. This characteristic mirrors the higher rate of actual
marriages by female couples in states that have extended marriage to
same-sex couples.
-- Same-sex spouses were twice as likely to be raising children -- more
than 31% of spouses are raising children as opposed to 17% of
unmarried
partners.

-- Same-sex unmarried partners do differ in many ways from their
different-sex unmarried counterparts. They are older, more educated,
wealthier, more likely to own a home, more likely to be employed, and
less likely to be raising children.

Gates notes that, "Despite the complicated legal status of same-sex couples in
this country, many see themselves and spouses and, demographically, they look
very much like married couples." The report's findings underscore the
significance of the Census Bureau's recent decision to more accurately report
the responses of same-sex couples in the United States, whether as spouses or
as unmarried partners.

The full report is available at www.law.ucla.edu/williamsinstitute

The Williams Institute advances sexual orientation law and public policy
through rigorous, independent research and scholarship, and disseminates it to
judges, legislators, policymakers, media and the public. A national think tank
at UCLA Law, the Williams Institute produces high quality research with
real-world relevance.

SOURCE The Williams Institute

Gary J. Gates of the Williams Institute, +1-310-825-1868