Examining Same-Sex Couples Using Dyadic Data Methods
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2019
Abstract
The increasing availability of population-level data on same-sex couples has given family demographers greater insight into the characteristics of same-sex couples in the United States as well as the implications of gender and sexuality for individual well-being across multiple outcomes. Whereas most nationally representative research on same-sex couples focuses on individuals, surveys such as the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) can be used to construct couple-level data files, enabling researchers to consider how couple-level indicators and variables for both partners affect individual well-being. In this chapter, we detail the benefits of dyadic data methods for research on couples and demonstrate a dyadic data analysis of 1262 same-sex couples and 113,642 different-sex couples derived from the 2012 to 2016 NHIS person-level files. Specifically, we examine the effects of respondent gender × partner gender on: reported health status; partner education and reported health; and union status and reported health among those in same-sex versus different-sex couples. Our results suggest that analysis of same-sex couples using dyadic data methods yields more nuanced results than analyses of individuals. For instance, there is a significant positive association between partner college degree and reported health status that is greater in magnitude for women than men—but only if women are in different-sex relationships. In addition, cohabitation and marriage are similarly associated with health for men in same-sex relationships, but cohabitation is associated with poorer health for men and women in different-sex relationships. We conclude with suggestions for future research using dyadic data methods for research on couples.
Publication Source (Journal or Book title)
Springer Series on Demographic Methods and Population Analysis
First Page
157
Last Page
186
Recommended Citation
Kroeger, R., & Powers, D. (2019). Examining Same-Sex Couples Using Dyadic Data Methods. Springer Series on Demographic Methods and Population Analysis, 47, 157-186. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93227-9_7