Demographics of SameSex Couple Households with Children Kristy

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Demographics of Same-Sex Couple Households with Children Kristy M. Krivickas Daphne Lofquist U. S.

Demographics of Same-Sex Couple Households with Children Kristy M. Krivickas Daphne Lofquist U. S. Census Bureau Fertility & Family Statistics Branch Presented at the annual meeting of the Population Association of America - April, 1, 2011 1

Goals and Rationale • Examine distribution of multiple categories of children under age 18

Goals and Rationale • Examine distribution of multiple categories of children under age 18 in same-sex unmarried and same-sex spousal households • Describe demographic characteristics of households with children – Compare opposite-sex and same-sex couple households • Policy implications • One of first studies using nationally representative data of children in households containing same-sex spouses 2

Past Research: Children in Opposite. Sex and Same-Sex Households • 2008 American Community Survey

Past Research: Children in Opposite. Sex and Same-Sex Households • 2008 American Community Survey data – 415, 000 reported same-sex unmarried – 13. 9% of male-male and 26. 5% of female-female contain children • Increase from Black & colleagues (2000) estimates • Same-sex couples - children from past relationship, rather than children from current relationship (Henehan et al. 2007) – Possibility that same-sex couple households more likely to have a non-related child 3

Past Research: Repartnering and Children’s Relatedness to the Householder • Rapidity at which and

Past Research: Repartnering and Children’s Relatedness to the Householder • Rapidity at which and number of times individuals repartner increasing over time (Cherlin 2009) – May lead to high numbers of step and/or combinations of biological and step children • Boundary ambiguity – who is in the family versus who is not – Possible confusion about how each child is related to householder 4

Focal Hypotheses • Non-related children more likely to be in unmarried partner households rather

Focal Hypotheses • Non-related children more likely to be in unmarried partner households rather than in married households • Non-related children greater likelihood of being in same-sex than in opposite-sex households • Exploratory examination of demographic characteristics 5

Data and Methods • 2009 American Community Survey (ACS) • ACS replaces long-form of

Data and Methods • 2009 American Community Survey (ACS) • ACS replaces long-form of 2010 Decennial Census • Largest household survey – approximately 3 million sampled housing units • Internal data files – same-sex reporting status imputation flag 6

Data and Methods �Analytic Sample � HH that have child 18 years of age

Data and Methods �Analytic Sample � HH that have child 18 years of age or younger � HH that have non-related child 18 years of age or younger � Only couple HH �Analyses � Detail distribution of types of children, both own and nonrelated children, in multiple households � Describe demographic characteristics of each type of household with children 7

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Conclusions • Partial support for our hypotheses – Same-sex households would be more likely

Conclusions • Partial support for our hypotheses – Same-sex households would be more likely to have only non-related children compared with opposite-sex householders • Non-related children more likely in unmarried households versus married households, regardless of the sex of the partner 22

Conclusions • Consistent with past research on boundary ambiguity among cohabiting couples – Tentative

Conclusions • Consistent with past research on boundary ambiguity among cohabiting couples – Tentative evidence – legally tenuous households less likely to claim partner’s child as their own child 23

Conclusions – Only adopted/only step households significantly higher avg. household incomes • Financial and

Conclusions – Only adopted/only step households significantly higher avg. household incomes • Financial and psychological costs – Among adopted/step only households, same-sex couples and married opposite-sex couples similar • Suggests adopted and step children at no greater socioeconomic disadvantage – Possible advantage compared to unmarried opposite -sex 24

Future Research • Who are these non-related children? – “Random” addition to household –

Future Research • Who are these non-related children? – “Random” addition to household – More likely belong to partner of householder • What are consequences if a partner’s child is claimed as non-related? – Lower levels of parental support, higher likelihood of dissolution 25

Future Research • Provide only descriptive, demographic baseline – Need relationship characteristics – Additional

Future Research • Provide only descriptive, demographic baseline – Need relationship characteristics – Additional partner information 26