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UCLA’S WILLIAMS INSTITUTE
RELEASES NEW STUDY ANALYZING
CENSUS DATA ON SAME-SEX COUPLES
IN INDIANA: ALMOST 16,000
COUPLES LIVE THROUGHOUT STATE;
RAISING OVER 5,300 CHILDREN
Press Release January 22, 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 16,000 same-sex couples in Indiana. The study shows that about 23% of the same-sex couples in Indiana are raising an estimated 5,369 children. The study also shows that same-sex couples, especially those with children, have fewer economic resources and own homes at a significantly lower rate than heterosexual, married couples. The full report may be found at: http://www.law.ucla.edu/williamsinstitute/publications/IndianaCensusSnapshot.pdf KEY FINDINGS INCLUDE: · In 2000, there were 10,219 same-sex couples living in Indiana. By 2005, the number of same-sex couples increased to 15,714. · There are an estimated 169,700 gay, lesbian, and bisexual people (single and coupled) currently living in Indiana. · Same-sex couples live in every county in Indiana and constitute 0.7% of coupled households and 0.4% of all households in the state. Marion County reported the most same-sex couples with 2,423 couples (0.69% of all households in the county), followed by Lake County with 630 couples (0.35%), and Allen County with 572 couples (0.44%). The counties with the highest percentage of same-sex couples are Monroe County (0.74% of all county households), Marion County (0.69%), and Brown County (0.66%). · Indiana’s same-sex couples are more racially and ethnically diverse than their married counterparts: 12% of same-sex couples are nonwhite, compared to 9% 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: 9% of individuals in same-sex couples are veterans, compared to 16% of married individuals. INDIANA’S SAME-SEX COUPLES ARE RAISING CHILDREN WITH FAR FEWER ECONOMIC RESOURCES THAN MARRIED PARENTS · Same-sex parents have far fewer financial resources to support their children than married parents in Indiana. The median household income of same-sex couples with children is $50,830, or 14% lower than that of married parents ($59,100). The average household income of same-sex couples with children is $63,032, less than $69,853 for married parents. · While 66% of same-sex couples with children own their home, a much larger percentage of married parents (83%) own their home. SAME-SEX COUPLES ARE ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN THE INDIANA ECONOMY · Individuals in same-sex couples in Indiana are significantly more likely to be employed than are married individuals: 77% of individuals in same-sex couples are employed, compared to 68% 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 Indiana earn $28,518 each year, significantly less than $45,936 for married men. The median income of men in same-sex couples in Indiana is $25,000, or 34% less than that of married men ($38,000). · Women in same-sex couples in Indiana earn an average of $29,608 per year (with a median of $26,000), more than married women, whose earnings average $23,239 (with a median of $29,000). Women in same-sex couples earn less than married men as well as men in same-sex couples. The Williams Institute also released today similar Census Snapshots for Ohio and Tennessee, available at http://www.law.ucla.edu/williamsinstitute/publications/Policy-Census-index.html. ###
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