Current:Home > MyReport: Differences between gay and straight spouses disappear after legalization of gay marriage -Wealth Evolution Experts
Report: Differences between gay and straight spouses disappear after legalization of gay marriage
View
Date:2025-04-23 23:51:18
Same-sex spouses were typically younger, had more education and were more likely to be employed than those in opposite-sex marriages, although many of those differences disappeared after the legalization of gay marriage in 2015, according to a new report released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Almost 1.5 million people lived with a same-sex spouse in the U.S. in 2022, double what it was in the year before gay marriage was legalized, according to the bureau’s American Community Survey.
A 2015 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court made same-sex marriages legal in all 50 states. In the year before that ruling, same-sex marriages had been legalized in just over a third of states through legislation and lower court rulings.
The 2015 Supreme Court decision proved to be a watershed, with around 41% of same-sex spouses reported in 2022 getting married within four years of the ruling. By comparison, 14% of those in opposite-sex marriages were married between 2015 and 2019, according to the Census Bureau report.
When just comparing marriages after the 2015 Supreme Court decision, many of the differences — including employment status, length of marriage and education levels among women — disappeared between same-sex spouses and opposite-sex spouses, the report said.
In addition, those in a same-sex marriage were older than their counterparts in opposite-sex marriages if they got married after 2015, a flip flop from all marriages regardless of the timeframe.
Any differences between gay and heterosexual marriages before the Supreme Court decision reflect the fact that same-sex marriage wasn’t recognized in all states until 2015, according to the report.
“Generally, same-sex spouses and their households resemble those in opposite-sex couples,” the report said.
Regardless of when couples got married, opposite-sex spouses were more likely to have children and have larger households, and female same-sex spouses were more likely to have kids than male same-sex spouses. Same-sex spouses were more likely to share a home with roommates, according to the report.
___
Follow Mike Schneider on X, formerly known as Twitter: @MikeSchneiderAP.
veryGood! (42665)
Related
- Meta donates $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund
- Packers QB Jordan Love helps college student whose car was stuck in the snow
- Nico Collins' quiet rise with Texans reflects standout receiver's soft-spoken style
- Mexico is investigating the reported disappearance of 9 Colombian women
- Man can't find second winning lottery ticket, sues over $394 million jackpot, lawsuit says
- 'All of Us Strangers' is a cathartic 'love letter' to queer people and their parents
- Jason Isbell on sad songs, knee slides, and boogers
- Leon Wildes, immigration lawyer who fought to prevent John Lennon’s deportation, dead at age 90
- Bill Belichick's salary at North Carolina: School releases football coach's contract details
- SAG Awards nominations for 2024 announced: See the full list of nominees
Ranking
- Juan Soto praise of Mets' future a tough sight for Yankees, but World Series goal remains
- Louisiana’s special session kicks off Monday. Here’s a look at what may be discussed
- Convicted former Russian mayor cuts jail time short by agreeing to fight in Ukraine
- Mia Goth sued by 'MaXXXine' background actor for battery, accused of kicking his head: Reports
- Military service academies see drop in reported sexual assaults after alarming surge
- A Texas woman was driven off her land by a racist mob in 1939. More than eight decades later, she owns it again.
- The ruling-party candidate strongly opposed by China wins Taiwan’s presidential election
- Earthquakes over magnitude 4 among smaller temblors recorded near Oklahoma City suburb
Recommendation
House passes bill to add 66 new federal judgeships, but prospects murky after Biden veto threat
Fire from Lebanon kills 2 Israeli civilians as the Israel-Hamas war rages for 100th day
How Lions' last NFL playoff win and ultra-rare triumph shaped one USA TODAY reporter
Nico Collins' quiet rise with Texans reflects standout receiver's soft-spoken style
Warm inflation data keep S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq under wraps before Fed meeting next week
King Frederik X and Queen Mary of Denmark Share Kiss on Balcony After Queen Margrethe II's Abdication
John Kerry to step down after 3 years as Biden's top climate diplomat
In Iowa, GOP presidential candidates concerned about impact of freezing temperatures on caucus turnout