Same-Sex Couples

Same-sex couples are defined as intimate partnerships in which both members of the couple identify as the same sex as one another. These may also be referred to as homosexual couples, gay couples (which usually means both members are male, though “gay” can be used for women as well), and lesbian couples. According to the 2010 United States Census, approximately 1% of all couple households identified as same-sex relationships, with roughly 20% of those households indicating they had children, compared to roughly 40% of heterosexual households indicating they were raising children. Statistics on noncohabitating same-sex couples remain relatively unknown; however, roughly 4% of the U.S. population identifies as gay or lesbian. The 2010 census reports also indicate that accurately measuring the population is difficult due ...