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UCLA’S WILLIAMS INSTITUTE
RELEASES NEW STUDY ANALYZING
CENSUS DATA ON SAME-SEX COUPLES
IN ARIZONA: ALMOST 17,000
COUPLES LIVE THROUGHOUT STATE;
RAISING OVER 5,300 CHILDREN
Press Release January 17, 2008
Media Contacts:
Gary Gates (310)825-1868/gates@law.ucla.edu LOS ANGELES - Today, the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law released a new research study providing demographic and economic information about the almost 17,000 same-sex couples in Arizona. The study shows that about 18% of the same-sex couples in Arizona are raising an estimated 5,321 children. The study also shows that same-sex couples with children have fewer economic resources and own homes at a significantly lower rate than heterosexual, married parents. The full report may be found at: http://www.law.ucla.edu/williamsinstitute/publications/ArizonaCensusSnapshot.pdf KEY FINDINGS INCLUDE: · In 2000, there were 12,332 same-sex couples living in Arizona. By 2005, the number of same-sex couples increased to 16,931. · There are an estimated 191,663 gay, lesbian, and bisexual people (single and coupled) currently living in Arizona. · Same-sex couples live in every county in Arizona and constitute 1.1% of coupled households and 0.6% of all households in the state. Maricopa County reported the most same-sex couples with 7,627 couples (0.67% of all county households), followed by Pima County with 2,244 couples (0.68%), and Pinal County with 398 couples (0.65%). The counties with the highest percentage of same-sex couples are La Paz County (0.78% of all county households), Apache County (0.71%), and Pima County (0.68%). · Arizona’s same-sex couples are as racially and ethnically diverse as their married counterparts: 26% of same-sex and married couples are nonwhite. · Despite the military’s historic policies of excluding gay men and lesbians from service, individuals in same-sex couples have served in the military: 14% of individuals in same-sex couples are veterans, compared to 19% of married individuals. ARIZONA’S SAME-SEX COUPLES ARE RAISING CHILDREN WITH FEWER ECONOMIC RESOURCES THAN MARRIED PARENTS · Same-sex parents have fewer financial resources to support their children than married parents in Arizona. The median household income of same-sex couples with children is $39,000, or 28% lower than that of married parents ($54,000). The average household income of same-sex couples with children is $46,605, significantly less than $67,706 for married parents. · While 46% of same-sex couples with children own their home, a much larger percentage of married parents (75%) own their home. SAME-SEX COUPLES ARE ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN THE ARIZONA ECONOMY · Individuals in same-sex couples in Arizona are significantly more likely to be employed than are married individuals: 78% of individuals in same-sex couples are employed, compared to 59% of married individuals. · Contrary to a popular stereotype, the annual earnings of men in same-sex couples are significantly lower than those of married men. On average, men in same-sex couples in Arizona earn $34,653 each year, significantly less than $46,453 for married men. The median income of men in same-sex couples in Arizona is $26,000, or 26% less than that of married men ($35,000). · Women in same-sex couples in Arizona earn an average of $31,336 per year (with a median of $26,000), more than married women, whose earnings average $25,231 (with a median of $20,400). Women in same-sex couples earn less than married men as well as men in same-sex couples.
The Williams Institute also released today a similar Census Snapshot for Utah, available at http://www.law.ucla.edu/williamsinstitute/publications/UtahCensusSnapshot.pdf. ###
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