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UCLA’S WILLIAMS
INSTITUTE RELEASES NEW STUDY
ANALYZING CENSUS DATA ON
SAME-SEX COUPLES IN ARKANSAS:
ALMOST 5,900 COUPLES LIVE
THROUGHOUT STATE; RAISING NEARLY
2,800 CHILDREN
Press Release
For Immediate Release
December 20, 2007
Media Contacts:
Adam Romero (310)206-0725/romero@law.ucla.edu
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 for the almost 5,900
same-sex couples in Arkansas.
The study shows that
approximately 30% of the
same-sex couples in Arkansas are
raising almost 2,800 children.
The study also shows that
same-sex couples raising
children have fewer economic
resources and own homes at a
significantly lower rate than
their heterosexual, married
counterparts.
The full report
may be found at:
http://www.law.ucla.edu/williamsinstitute/publications/ArkansasCensusSnapshot.pdf
KEY FINDINGS
INCLUDE:
-
In 2000, there
were 4,423 same-sex couples
living in Arkansas. By 2005,
the number of same-sex couples
increased to almost 5,900.
-
In 2005, there
were almost 64,500 gay,
lesbian, and bisexual people
(single and coupled) living in
Arkansas.
-
Same-sex
couples live in every county
in Arkansas, constituting 0.7%
of coupled households and 0.4%
of all households in the
State. Pulaski County reported
the most same-sex couples with
770 couples (0.52% of all
county households), followed
by Washington County with 327
couples (0.54%), Benton County
with 239 couples (0.48%), and
Sebastian County with 181
couples (0.40%). The counties
with the highest percentage of
same-sex couples are Carroll
County (0.77% of all county
households) and Madison County
(0.59%).
-
Arkansas’s
same-sex couples are more
racially and ethnically
diverse than their
different-sex married
counterparts: 18% of same-sex
couples are nonwhite, compared
to 13% of married couples.
-
Despite the
military’s historic policies
of excluding gay men and
lesbians from service,
individuals in same-sex
couples have served in the
military: 11% of individuals
in same-sex couples are
veterans.
SAME-SEX
HOUSEHOLDS RAISING CHILDREN HAVE
FEWER ECONOMIC RESOURCES THAN
MARRIED HOUSEHOLDS IN ARKANSAS
-
Same-sex
parents have fewer financial
resources to support their
children than married parents
in Arkansas. The median
household income of same-sex
couples with children is
$39,900, 13% lower than that
of married parents ($46,000).
The average household income
of same-sex couples with
children is $48,420, less than
$56,162 for married parents.
-
While 61% of
same-sex couples with children
own a home, a much larger
percentage of married parents
(71%) own a home.
SAME-SEX COUPLES
ARE ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN THE
ARKANSAS ECONOMY
-
Individuals in
same-sex couples in Arkansas
are as likely to be employed
as are married individuals:
64% of individuals in same-sex
couples are employed, compared
to 63% of married individuals.
-
Contrary to a
popular stereotype, the annual
earnings of men in same-sex
couples are significantly
lower than married men. On
average, men in same-sex
couples in Arkansas earn
$25,815 each year,
significantly less than
$38,662 for married men. The
median income of men in
same-sex couples in Arkansas
is $22,800, or 24% less than
that of married men ($30,000).
-
Women in
same-sex couples in Arkansas
earn an average of $25,383 per
year (with a median of
$15,000), more than married
women, whose earnings average
$20,638 (with a median of
$17,200). Women in same-sex
couples earn less than married
men as well as men in same-sex
couples.
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