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UCLA’S WILLIAMS INSTITUTE
RELEASES NEW STUDY ANALYZING
CENSUS DATA ON SAME-SEX COUPLES
IN WEST VIRGINIA: ALMOST 3,500
COUPLES LIVE THROUGHOUT STATE;
RAISING MORE THAN 700 CHILDREN
Press Release January 28, 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 more than 3,000 same-sex couples in West Virginia. The study shows that about 14% of the same-sex couples in West Virginia are raising an estimated 713 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/WestVirginiaCensusSnapshot.pdf KEY FINDINGS INCLUDE: · In 2000, there were 2,916 same-sex couples living in West Virginia. By 2005, the number of same-sex couples increased to 3,423. · There are an estimated 37,692 gay, lesbian, and bisexual people (single and coupled) currently living in West Virginia. · Same-sex couples live in every county in West Virginia and constitute 0.7% of coupled households and 0.4% of all households in the state. Kanawha County reported the most same-sex couples with 420 couples (0.49% of all households in the county), followed by Cabell County with 183 couples (0.44%), and Berkeley County with 138 couples (0.47%). The counties with the highest percentage of same-sex couples are Jefferson County (0.74% of all county households), Morgan County (0.62%), and Hardy County (0.52%). · West Virginia’s same-sex couples are more racially and ethnically diverse than their married counterparts: 8% of same-sex couples are nonwhite, compared to 3% 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: 10% of individuals in same-sex couples are veterans, compared to 17% of married individuals. WEST VIRGINIA’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 West Virginia. The median household income of same-sex couples with children is $35,000, or 18% lower than that of married parents ($42,800). The average household income of same-sex couples with children is $35,180, significantly less than $51,909 for married parents. · While 53% of same-sex couples with children own their home, a significantly larger percentage of married parents (82%) own their home. SAME-SEX COUPLES ARE ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN THE WEST VIRGINIA ECONOMY · Individuals in same-sex couples in West Virginia are significantly more likely to be employed than are married individuals: 65% of individuals in same-sex couples are employed, compared to 56% of married individuals. · Contrary to a popular stereotype, the annual earnings of men in same-sex couples are lower than those of married men. On average, men in same-sex couples in West Virginia earn $31,301 each year, less than $37,641 for married men. The median income of men in same-sex couples in West Virginia is $27,000, or 10% less than that of married men ($30,000). · Women in same-sex couples in West Virginia earn an average of $26,649 per year (with a median of $19,000), more than married women, whose earnings average $20,078 (with a median of $16,500). 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 Virginia, which is available at http://www.law.ucla.edu/williamsinstitute/publications/Policy-Census-index.html.
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