Same‐Sex Marriage in the U nited S tates

Abstract

Same‐sex marriage refers to the legal recognition of the union between two person of the same sex whereby rights, responsibilities, and privileges accorded to married heterosexual couples are extended to their same‐sex counterparts. As of 2015 same‐sex marriage can be found in 35 states and DC, and is legalized in 17 countries across the world. This growing momentum toward marriage equality prompted questions regarding the impact same‐sex marriage has on families in particular, and on society in general. The uneven pace of legalizing same‐sex marriage has negative consequences on same‐sex families with young children, subjecting them to undue financial and emotional burden. Although some studies have attempted to show differences between children raised by opposite‐ and those raised by same‐sex parents, an overwhelming number of interdisciplinary social science research shows otherwise. Children of same‐sex parents fare just as well as their similarly situated opposite‐sex counterparts.