Economics & Business
Excluding same-sex couples and their families from marriage not only causes economic hardship for families, but also negatively impacts businesses.
Use the key resources below to learn more about how marriage discrimination negatively impacts businesses and the economy while also causing economic injustice for families.
FROM EVAN WOLFSON:
Taxing Our Patience
As the tax deadline approaches, Evan Wolfson discusses how marriage discrimination causes unfair taxes for families across the country and offers examples of such discrimination.
For Richer, For Poorer: Same-Sex Couples and the Freedom to Marry as a Civil Right
Evan Wolfson discusses the life-altering consequences of denying same-sex couples the economic safety net that comes with marriage.
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WHERE YOU CAN GO TO GET INVOLVED OR LEARN MORE:
The Williams Institute
The Institute supports legal scholarship, legal research, policy analysis, and education regarding legal issues that affect lesbian and gay people with numerous reports on the economic impact of ending discrimination in marriage.
Key Life Planning Topics from Lambda Legal
Lambda Legal has compiled a guide titled Key Life Planning Topics for gay and lesbian couples discussing how to deal with the inequalities created by exclusion from marriage, detailing such economic issues as mortgages, wills, retirement planning, estate taxes, healthcare, and childcare.
Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders' (GLAD) Marriage Info and Resources
GLAD discusses the complicated process of Navigating Income Taxes for Married Same-Sex Couples and how to deal with Taxes on Employment Benefits
for Same-Sex Spouses, each exemplifying the economic inequalities created by excluding same-sex couples from marriage.
Human Rights Campaign's (HRC) WorkPlace Project
HRC's WorkPlace Project contains reports on businesses' policies concerning benefits for gay and lesbian employees and their partners, and how ending discrimination in marriage is not just personal, but good for business.
Freedom to Marry's Tax Time Campaign
Learn about the economic challenges that face gay and lesbian couples around tax time from our 2007 Tax Time Campaign website.
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ECONOMIC LEGISLATIVE STATUS IN THE U.S.:
There are currently no federal protections or responsibilities for gay and lesbian couples in the U.S. As such, it is important to keep track of these developments on a state-by-state basis. For updates about news in the states, click on a state below.
Legal recognition of same-sex relationships by state
Human Rights Campaign (HRC)
The Human Rights Campaign lists each state's laws concerning marriage/relationship recognition.
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THE NUMBERS: POLLING & STATISTICS:
Excluding same-sex couples hurts families financially. Across the United States, more than 39% of same-sex couples aged 22-55 are raising children-as many as several million, experts estimate. Additionally, same-sex parents have almost $12,000 less in average household income than different-sex parents (pdf).
Corporations realize family recognition is good for business. As of August 2007, the Human Rights Campaign reported a majority (53%) of the Fortune 500 corporations "[offer] health benefits to employees' domestic partners, more than twice as many as in 2000 and more than a tenfold increase since 1995."
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PUBLICATIONS:
For Richer, For Poorer (pdf)
Marriage inequality affects all same-sex couples regardless of sex, race, religion, ethnicity, or physical ability. As with most injustices, the effects of marriage discrimination fall particularly hard on those living on the margins: the poor, the less educated, immigrants, children, the elderly, the ill, and those otherwise most vulnerable.
Unequal Taxes on Equal Benefits: The Taxation of Domestic Partner Benefits
Public policy encourages employers to provide health insurance by exempting that form of compensation from taxation. As a result, married workers who get family health insurance benefits get a double benefit—they get health insurance coverage for their spouses and children and are not taxed on the value of that coverage. In sharp contrast, workers who have an unmarried domestic partner are doubly burdened: Their employers typically do not provide coverage for domestic partners; and even when partners are covered, the partner’s coverage is taxed as income to the employee. As a result, the taxation of domestic partner health care benefits sets up a two-tiered tax policy that costs many American families and their employers millions of dollars each year. This report estimates the financial impact of this extra tax on employees and employers.
The effect of marriage equality and domestic partnership on business and the economy (pdf)
This report discusses how employer policies that treat employees with same-sex partners or spouses equally would improve the health and well-being of their families, which results in gains for both the employee and his or her family as well as to the employer.
The Economics of Equal Marriage Fact Sheet (pdf)
NOW lists the specifics of how ending discrimination in marriage is a social justice issue.
Congressional budget report: A positive impact if same-sex marriages are recognized
Bottom line: Allowing same-sex couples to marry would be good for the economy, with a net impact on federal budget savings of almost $1 billion per year.
Marriage Makes Cents: How law & economics justifies same-sex marriage
Book Review of The Gay Rights Question in Contemporary American Law by Ryan Nishimoto
Andrew Koppelman's book The Gay Rights Question in Contemporary American Lawpresents the legal and moral case for gay equality. This Book Review examines how law and economics removes the debate to a pragmatic theater, compelling recognition of same-sex marriage.
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NEWS:
Study says marriage equality would boost Iowa's economy
A UCLA study says ending the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage in Iowa would be a boon to the state economy.
Marriage Equality Makes Financial Sense
Most people in this country take for granted the financial safety net marriage creates for the couples who enter into it. Being denied marriage and its associated legal and financial protections affects same-sex couples and their families at every stage of life. It’s not only unfair; it’s not good business sense.
A Red Carpet for Gay Weddings
When Vermont enacted same-sex civil union legislation in 2000, it was the first state to do so, and gay and lesbian couples who came to Vermont found only a smattering of florists, wedding planners, inns, resorts and other vendors for civil unions. But since 2000, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey and New Hampshire have legalized same-sex civil unions or marriages…Throughout the Northeast, competition has spiked among wedding sites, hotels, resorts and inns as the travel industry has realized that same-sex ceremonies can draw scores of guests, who turn these destinations weddings into weekend stays.
Repealing equal-rights laws would have chilling effect
Todd Simmons discusses the potential consequences of repealing a domestic partnership law passed last year: “If either or both measure makes it to the ballot this fall, voters must understand that the future for gay Oregonians is not the only matter at stake; a repeal would have significant consequences for our economy that could take years to repair. For the sake of both fairness and economic good sense, the laws should stay as they are.”
Marriage Equality Attracting Skilled Workers To MA
Massachusetts is reaping huge financial gains as a result of ending the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage.
Gay-friendliness is not only about values
Israeli psychology professor Carlo Strenger writes that gay equality is more than an issue of morality and advocates for the economic importance of tolerance; cites research-specific examples.
Marriage equality is sensible
Societies that are tolerant, free and diverse tend to be richer and happier than societies that aren't. Maryland has shown this for decades. Now is the time to extend the legacy by ending the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage. The move would beam welcome signals not just to gays and lesbians but to all members of the young "creative class" who represent the economic and social future. Not coincidentally, it's the right thing to do. More and more research shows how inextricably linked tolerance and prosperity really are. No religion, race or sexual orientation has a monopoly on talent. States wanting to stay ahead must show that their doors are open to everybody.
Domestic partners two-timed
California's registered domestic partners are sailing in uncharted territory this tax season. For the first time, a landmark state law requires them to file their taxes as married couples — even though federal tax laws don't recognize such unions.
COLUMN: Same-sex and worried about retirement
Columnist Martha Hamilton writes about the financial difficulties many same-sex couples face because they cannot receive the tax breaks and retirement benefits that come with marriage.
BLOG: Corporate America: The new gay activists
Charting a course unplanned but nevertheless successful, Corporate America is shaping up to be the most persuasive gay activists of the decade. How are they doing it? With a simple three-step formula: credibility + education + action. It's a winning combination that actually fuels progress toward achieving equality in other arenas including politically charged topics like marriage.
Federal tax law hits gay families harder
Gay and lesbian families pay higher federal income tax than their non-gay married counterparts.
Finance guru Suze Orman talks about faith, power — and money
Suze Orman discusses the financial inequality she faces because she and her partner are excluded from marriage: "[Marriage] matters a big deal financially. It's not right that somebody like me, who has millions of dollars, that upon my death, my significant other is going to have to lose 50 percent of that to estate taxes. Why should I be punished? I have worked so hard to earn every penny that I've earned. Why should that happen?"
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Evan Wolfson discusses the life-altering consequences of denying same-sex couples the economic safety net that comes with marriage.
Why the freedom to marry is a matter of economic justice
Marriage inequality affects all same-sex couples regardless of sex, race, religion, ethnicity, or physical ability. As with most injustices, the effects of marriage discrimination fall particularly hard on those living on the margins: the poor, the less educated, immigrants, children, the elderly, the ill, and those otherwise most vulnerable.
HRC's WorkPlace Project contains reports on businesses' policies concerning benefits for gay and lesbian employees and their partners, and how ending discrimination in marriage is not just personal, but good for business.
This report discusses (pdf) how employer policies that treat employees with same-sex partners or spouses equally would improve the health and well-being of their families, which results in gains for both the employee and his or her family as well as to the employer.
