In Same-Gender Households Men Earn More Women and Men Earn More Than Opposite-Gendered Households

A new study from the Brookings Institution examines the economic status of same-gender, married and unmarried households in the United States.

The study found that on average, same-gender married couples have higher median household incomes and higher rates of dual employment than opposite-gender married couples. The data shows that the median household income of same-gender households is $107,200 compared to $97,000 for opposite-gender married couples.

But when same-gendered married couples households are women, a large income gap exists. The report shows that the family income for married men in same-gender relationships is 31 percent higher than married women in same-gender relationships and 27 percent higher than opposite-gender married couples.

The income gap for men in unmarried partnerships is 36 percent higher than unmarried women in same-gender relationships and 38 percent higher than opposite-gender unmarried couples. 

The researchers state that a surprise in their findings is that women in a same-gender coupled family – regardless of marital status — have similar family income to opposite-gender couples.

The full study, “Examining the Economic Status of Same-Gender Relationship Households,” may be accessed here.