Individuals in same-sex couples more likely to both be employed than those in opposite-sex couples

Regardless of whether they are married or unwed, individuals belonging to same-sex pairs were more likely to both be employed in 2019 than people in opposite-sex pairs, according to newly released U.S. Census data.

While 65.1% of same-sex couples had both individuals employed, that number dropped to just 51.1% for opposite-sex couples.

"Neither age, marriage, nor the presence of children fully explain why same-sex and opposite-sex couples differ when it comes to employment for both members of the couple," according to the post, which noted that each of those issues could have an impact.

Other data provided by the Census centered on couples age 25 to 64, the ranges in which adults are the most likely to work a job, according to the report. But even when limiting the scope to couples of these ages, a wide gap remained with 74.1% of same-sex couples having both people employed compared to just 64.9% for opposite-sex pairs.

And when factoring in consideration of marriage in relationships, same-sex partners age 25 to 64 were still both employed at a higher rate than opposite-sex partners. Among married same-sex couples 72.4% were both employed, but among married opposite-sex couples 64.3% were both employed. Similarly, among unmarried same-sex couples 76.6% were both employed, while among those in unmarried opposite-sex couples 69.1% were both employed.

And again, when considering the factor of couples with children present, same-sex partners were more likely than opposite-sex partners to have both individuals in the couple employed when considering couples age 25 to 64. In the case of same-sex couples with children in the household, 72.4% were both employed compared to 65.6% of opposite-sex couples with children. And regarding same-sex couples without children present, 74.5% were both employed compared to 64% of opposite-sex couples without children involved.

The Census “does not identify all couples living together since it only collects information on each household member’s relationship to the householder and not about the relationships between all household members," the post about the stats said. "Still, most couples do include the householder," it added.