Cohabitation and Marriage Among Same-Sex Couples in the 2019 ACS and CPS: A Research Note

Abstract

Since the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court rul ing that mar riages of same-sex couples are legal in all states in the union, federal surveys have adapted to the shift-ing legal cli mate and included new mea sures that more directly iden tify 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’ deci-sions 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.