Work

Matching on Gender and Sexual Orientation,

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: We study the mating patterns of non-heterosexual individuals, who represent a significant and increasing portion of the population, particularly among the youth. We estimate a multidimensional matching model of the marriage market where partner’s gender is endogenously chosen conditional on the agent’s sexual orientation, and is subject to trade-offs that depend on both the agents’ preferences and the pool of potential partners. We show that same-sex couples experience lower gains from live-in relationships, a “same-sex penalty”. Absent this penalty, the share of same-sex couples in the U.S. would increase by about 50% (from 1.36% to 2.04% of all couples).

Source: Journal of the European Economic Association

DOI: 10.1093/jeea/jvag071

Authors: Edoardo Ciscato, Marion Goussé

Institutions: KU Leuven, École Nationale de la Statistique et de l'Analyse de l'Information, Centre de Recherche en Économie et Statistique

Language: English

Topic: LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy

Subfield: Social Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Reduced inequalities, Gender equality

Open Access status: green

OpenAlex ID: W4404109612

FWCI:

Cites:

Cited by: 1

Related to: 10