The Family and Gay Men and Lesbians

Abstract

In the last 10 years, there has been increased attention given to the demographic analysis of same-sex couples and their families. This attention may be attributed to multiple factors, including current debates and social movements regarding issues of sexual orientation and legislative rights. Additionally, one paramount factor contributing to the increased attention is the availability of better data on same-sex households. While these data are limited, the inclusion of various measures and indicators of sexual orientation and access to large-scale nationally representative data gives demographers a starting point to examine issues of sexual orientation. Currently, there is growing support for the argument that sexual orientation does have an effect on demographic processes and life outcomes. This chapter presents an overview of the current demographic research on same-sex families. It describes how same-sex families are understood by demographers, limitations to this demographic research, and demonstrates how demography can illuminate issues of same-sex families. This chapter also draws on research outside of demography, primarily from family studies, to further highlight substantive concerns and future directions for demographic research.