Since the 2021 American Community Survey, respondents have had the option to select “Same-sex husband/wife/spouse.” This is In 2022, there were just over 730K same-sex married households (see Table 1), ;one in five of these families have children. Across racial and ethnic groups, nearly half or more of married same-sex households were female-headed households. Seventy-eight percent of same-sex married households with children were headed by females (see Table 1).
Table 1. Same-Sex Married Households
Source: 2022 American Community Survey
In 2015, a report by the Williams Institute found that 81% of unmarried same-sex couples with children were headed by females. Table 2 shows that the percentage has increased to 86%.
Table 2. Same-Sex Unmarried Households
Source: 2022 American Community Survey
Double Decker Sandwich
Due to having children later in life, an increasing share of millennials, 40%, are part of the sandwich generation, those taking care of aging parents and children. Research shows that mothers provide more care than dads and are taking on more financial responsibilities. Therefore, given the number of same-sex households with children and led by women coupled with the gender pay gap, these families are more vulnerable to emotional and financial stress associated with caregiving.
Individuals in various types of families provide unpaid care. It is important that we support all these families.
