Twenty Years of Legal Marriage for Same-Sex Couples in the United States: Evidence Review and New Analyses

Abstract

Twenty years after the first marriage licenses were issued to same-sex couples in Massachusetts, this report provides a review of evidence and new analyses describing the effects of granting legal status to the marriages of same-sex couples in the United States. For the evidence review, we assembled and evaluated existing research that has examined how any form of legal status (e.g., marriage, civil unions, domestic partnerships) affects well-being in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals; their children; and the general public. For the new analyses, we leveraged data from multiple national datasets (e.g., the American Community Survey, the Current Population Survey, the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, the Monitoring the Future main study) to examine how changes in the legal status of same-sex couples within and across states affected trends in family formation (e.g., marriage and divorce) between 2000 (before marriage was available to same-sex couples in any state) and 2014 (when the last cohort of states chose to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples before all restrictions on marriage for same-sex couples nationwide were lifted by Obergefell v. Hodges). This report should be of interest to researchers and policymakers considering how to promote the well-being of relationships, U.S. families, and members of gender and sexualminority groups. Preparation of this report was supported by Centerline Liberties, Inc., a 501(c)3 focused on advancing policy solutions that defend core constitutional freedoms and liberties. Social and Behavioral Policy ProgramRAND Social and Economic Well-Being is a division of RAND that seeks to actively improve the health and social and economic well-being of populations and communities throughout the world. This research was conducted in the Social and Behavioral Policy Program within RAND Social and Economic Well-Being. The program focuses on such topics as risk factors and prevention programs, social safety net programs and other social supports, poverty, aging, disability, child and youth health and well-being, and quality of life, as well as other policy concerns that are influenced by social and behavioral actions and systems that affect well-being. For more information, email