Yoonkyung Yuh, The Ohio State University
Catherine P. Montalto, The Ohio State University
The 1995 Survey of Consumer Finances includes a small number of households (N=32) in which the respondent reports he/she is either married to or living with a partner of the same sex.1
The 1995 SCF contains information on 4,299 households. Based on SCF variable X8023, 2,666 of these households have a respondent who is married, and 228 of these households have a respondent who is living with a partner.
The SCF variables X8021 (sex of respondent) and X103 (sex of spouse/partner) can be used to identify same sex couples. Of the 2,666 households with a married respondent, 8 of the households have a respondent and a spouse who are both male, and 3 of the households have a respondent and a spouse who are both female. Of the 228 households with a respondent living with a partner, 11 of the households have a respondent and a partner who are both male, and 10 of the households have a respondent and a partner who are both female.
If marital status affects behavior, and if the effect differs between same-sex couples and mixed-sex couples, empirical analyses need to allow for these differences and not impose inappropriate restrictions on the data.
1Information based on the first implicate of the 1995 Survey of Consumer Finances.