As the fight for marriage equality gains momentum, states across the nation are experiencing a surge in the demand for marriage among same-sex partners. And while the number of gay marriages and civil unions have sky-rocketed across the board in the US, lesbian couples appear to be driving the trend.
The US Census Bureau reports that roughly 150,000 official same-sex weddings, civil unions and domestic partnerships took place in 2009, 56 percent of which were between lesbian couples. This percentage mirrors a recent statistic that finds lesbian women to be twice as likely to get married as gay men, are helping drive the trend.
UCLA Demographer Gary Gates, who has conducted a number of studies on gay marriage trends, says lesbian couples generally tend to be quicker to get into relationships, especially when they’re young. However, he notes that older lesbian women are more hesitant to jump into relationships and are therefore less likely to officially tie the knot.
Although recent studies suggest that same-sex couples seem to be marrying at roughly the same rate as different-sex couples, NPR reports that a direct comparison cannot be made because gay couples do not enjoy marriage rights in all 50 states.
Gates explained, “It’s not apples to apples…We don’t know yet whether it will ultimately reach exactly similar proportions, but for same-sex couples, the trend line is clearly pointed up.”
