Full Citation
Title: Cohabitation and Marriage Among Same-Sex Couples in the 2019 ACS and CPS: A Research Note
Citation Type: Journal Article
Publication Year: 2022
ISBN:
ISSN: 0070-3370
DOI: 10.1215/00703370-10181474
NSFID:
PMCID:
PMID:
Abstract: Since the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that marriages of same-sex couples are legal in all states in the union, federal surveys have adapted to the shifting legal climate and included new measures that more directly identify same-sex and different-sex cohabiting and married couples. In this research note comparing the largest and most recent federal surveys—the 2019 American Community Survey and Current Population Survey—we find consistent levels of cohabitation and marriage across surveys. While the vast majority (90%) of different-sex couples were married, we report a more even split in cohabitation and marriage among same-sex couples. Our evaluation of sociodemographic characteristics of married and cohabiting couples indicates that differences were less prominent among same-sex couples than among different-sex couples, suggesting weaker sociodemographic selection into marriage among the former. However, factors affecting same-sex and different-sex couples' decisions to live together and marry may differ because of legal and social climates that still present unique obstacles for same-sex couples. Researchers need to acknowledge these differences in assessments of the implications of marriage for health and well-being.
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Authors: Manning, Wendy D.; Westrick-Payne, Krista K.; Gates, Gary J.
Periodical (Full): Demography
Issue: 5
Volume: 59
Pages: 1595-1605
Data Collections: IPUMS CPS
Topics: Family and Marriage, Gender
Countries: