The Direct Effects of Legal Same-Sex Marriage in the United States: Evidence From Massachusetts

AbstractI provide evidence on the direct effects of legal same-sex marriage in the United States by studying Massachusetts, the first state to legalize it in 2004 by court order. Using confidential Massachusetts data from 2001 –2013, I show that the ruling significantly increased marriage among lesbians, bisexual women, and gay men compared with the associated change for heterosexuals. I find no significant effects on coupling. Marriage take-up effects are larger for lesbians than for bisexual women or gay men and are l arger for households with children than for households without children. Consistent with prior work in the United States and Europe, I find no reductions in heterosexual marriage.
Source: Demography - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: research