The percentage of same-sex couples with children has fallen slightly since 2006—a drop that may in fact reflect a decline in social stigma, according to a new study. At the same time, the total number of same-sex couples raising children has risen, and the percentage of same-sex couples who have adopted children has nearly doubled in the past decade.
How many same-sex couples in the U.S. are raising children? According to the Williams Institute of UCLA, a new analysis of Census 2010 data shows that “nearly 132,000 (20%) of the nearly 650,000 same-sex couples in the U.S. identified as spouses. Data further show that 31% of couples who identified as spouses and 14% of
Where are are most same-sex couples raising kids? Mostly in the deep South and Mountain West regions, according to a new analysis of Census 2010 by the Williams Institute of UCLA—although the data confirms a trend already seen in Census 2000. Williams demographer Gary Gates explains, “In these socially conservative areas, LGBT people likely come
Keeping it short this week, since I need to go figure out how to build an emergency shelter out of Legos before the storm hits. Hope all of you are staying safe, too. The White House and the Department of Homeland Security confirmed that same-sex spouses and partners will be considered in case-by-case reviews of
Data from Census 2010 is slowly rolling in, state by state, and so far, it looks like about one quarter of same-sex couples are raising children, in states as diverse as Alabama, California, Hawaii, and Wyoming. The diligent demographers at the Williams Institute of UCLA are doing the analysis; they have yet to release breakdowns
If you read one piece today about LGBT parenting, make it this excellent New York Times piece about our demographics, which informs us “Child rearing among same-sex couples is more common in the South than in any other region of the country.”
Thanks to the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), same-sex couples who live together will be defined as “unmarried partners” in the 2010 U.S. Census. Their children will be counted as belonging to single parents, even if the couples are legally wed in a state that permits them to do so. If the partners list themselves
Which New York City borough has the highest percentage same-sex families with children? Those who know a bit about New York’s LGBT population might guess Manhattan, with traditional gay meccas Greenwich Village and Chelsea, or Brooklyn, with lesbian-filled Park Slope. According to a new report by the Williams Institute at UCLA, however, forty-nine percent of
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ran a story today asking What Happens to Kids Raised by Gay Parents? It’s notable for profiling one child who is straight and one who is gay. This is a rare look at “second-generation” LGBT individuals and a needed recognition that while LGBT parents won’t necessarily have LGBT children, statistically, some of
To pique your interest in the online chat with sociologist Rosanna Hertz I’m hosting tomorrow night, I wanted to share some statistics she sent me about the changing shape of the American family. Less than 25% of all families consist of a married, opposite-sex couple living with their own (biological or adopted) children—down from 40%
