With the advent of same-sex marriage in the country, the question of whether same-gender marriage should be legalised has become a major policy debate.
Key points:Marriage laws in Australia are being changed to reflect the changing gender roles of couplesNew research finds the number of same sex couples living together in Australia has increased by 30% since 2011More than half of all couples in Australia currently live together as a coupleMarriage equality campaigners have called for changes to the Marriage ActThe Australian Human Rights Commission has said same-gendered marriage is a civil right that must be protectedMarriage Equality spokesman Peter Beattie says Australia’s laws need to reflect modern gender rolesThe number of people living together as two people of the same gender in Australia have increased by about 30 per cent in the past year, according to new research from the Australian Human Research Council.
“The Australian Census shows that the number and gender of same gender married couples in the population has increased from about 9.7 per cent to about 12.9 per cent,” said the report released on Tuesday.
“This means that more than half (55 per cent) of all same- gender married Australians are living together, compared with 40 per cent of heterosexual married Australians.”‘
People don’t see the change as a fundamental change’The survey was conducted in May 2016 and used data from the 2015 Australian Household Survey.
The study found that a substantial number of Australian couples were living together more as a result of the new laws, with the vast majority of those living together having two partners.
The number was higher for gay and lesbian couples.
“Of the couples who had two partners in the 2015 Household Survey, just over one-third (31 per cent), lived together as couple number one,” the report said.
“In contrast, of the couples that had one partner, almost two-thirds (67 per cent, or 1,719,000) lived together with one partner or another.”
The survey also found that the vast bulk of those who lived together had two or more children.
The majority of same and same- sex couples (70 per cent or 1.9 million) were married in 2016, compared to the UK, where just 27 per cent married each other.
The research also found Australia was one of the least progressive countries in the world when it came to same- and same gender marriage, with just 2 per cent opting to legally declare their relationship.
“We have seen a substantial increase in the number in recent years of same‐sex couples living in a relationship,” the study said.”[It] is also not uncommon for same‐gender couples to be together in their 20s and 30s.”
The research showed that the percentage of same or same-sexual couples living as single people increased from 1 per cent (1,639,000 people) in the 2010 census to 1 per,823,000 in the 2016 survey.
However, the study also found the proportion of people in the LGBTI+ community was rising.
“There were 851,000 Australians in the UK who identified as LGBTII in 2016,” the research said.
The report also noted the trend of young people, many of whom were living with their parents, wanting to be able to live independently.
“A growing number of young adults are looking for a partner, and this is likely to be driven by the change in the family landscape, including the introduction of parental leave, greater employment flexibility and the rise in single status,” the researchers said.
While the survey was released at the same time as the Australian Greens were planning to introduce a motion on same- marriage, the Greens party has previously called for a change to the laws.
Topics:marriage,family-and-children,people,government-and:civic-parties,marriage,australiaFirst posted March 11, 2021 12:39:48Contact Victoria Siewert
