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Poverty in US Lesbian and Gay Couple Households

Author

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  • Alyssa Schneebaum
  • M. V. Lee Badgett

Abstract

Poverty is a widely researched topic in economics. However, despite growing research on the economic lives of lesbians and gay men in the United States since the mid 1990s, very little is known about poverty in same-sex couple households. This study uses American Community Survey data from 2010 to 2014 to calculate poverty rates for households headed by different-sex versus same-sex couples. Comparing households with similar characteristics, the results show that those headed by same-sex couples are more likely to be in poverty than those headed by different-sex married couples. Despite that overall disadvantage, a decomposition of the poverty risk shows that same-sex couples are protected from poverty by their higher levels of education and labor force participation, and their lower probability of having a child in the home. Lastly, the role of gender – above and beyond sexual orientation – is clear in the greater vulnerability to poverty for lesbian couples.

Suggested Citation

  • Alyssa Schneebaum & M. V. Lee Badgett, 2019. "Poverty in US Lesbian and Gay Couple Households," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(1), pages 1-30, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:femeco:v:25:y:2019:i:1:p:1-30
    DOI: 10.1080/13545701.2018.1441533
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Michael E. Martell & Peyton Nash, 2020. "For Love and Money? Earnings and Marriage Among Same-Sex Couples," Journal of Labor Research, Springer, vol. 41(3), pages 260-294, September.
    2. Olga Alonso-Villar & Coral del Río, 2024. "Poverty among same-sex couple families in the United States: Is there a premium for married couples?," The Journal of Economic Inequality, Springer;Society for the Study of Economic Inequality, vol. 22(2), pages 495-517, June.
    3. Drydakis, Nick, 2021. "The Economics of Being LGBT. A Review: 2015-2020," IZA Discussion Papers 14845, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    4. Duc Hien Nguyen, 2023. "The Political Economy of Heteronormativity," Review of Radical Political Economics, Union for Radical Political Economics, vol. 55(1), pages 112-131, March.
    5. M. V. Lee Badgett & Christopher S. Carpenter & Maxine J. Lee & Dario Sansone, 2025. "A review of the effects of legal access to same‐sex marriage," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 44(1), pages 266-294, January.
    6. Nick Drydakis, 2022. "Sexual orientation and earnings: a meta-analysis 2012–2020," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 35(2), pages 409-440, April.
    7. Riccardo Ciacci & Dario Sansone, 2023. "The impact of sodomy law repeals on crime," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 36(4), pages 2519-2548, October.
    8. Coral del Río & Olga Alonso‐Villar, 2019. "Occupational Achievements of Same‐Sex Couples in the United States by Gender and Race," Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 58(4), pages 704-731, October.
    9. Olga Alonso-Villar & Coral del Río, 2024. "Where Do Families Headed by Same-Sex Couples Fall Within the U.S. Income Distribution?," Working Papers 2401, Universidade de Vigo, Departamento de Economía Aplicada.
    10. Angela Matijczak & Jennifer W. Applebaum & Shanna K. Kattari & Shelby E. McDonald, 2021. "Social Support and Attachment to Pets Moderate the Association between Sexual and Gender Minority Status and the Likelihood of Delaying or Avoiding COVID-19 Testing," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-15, August.
    11. Cameron Deal & Shea Greenberg & Gilbert Gonzales, 2024. "Sexual identity, poverty, and utilization of government services," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 37(2), pages 1-31, June.

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