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La fréquence des couples de même sexe cohabitants a triplé aux États-Unis entre 2000 et 2021 pour atteindre 1,8 % des ménages comprenant un couple. On observe la même tendance en Australie avec 1,4 % des couples au recensement de 2021 contre 0,3 % à celui de 2001. En Espagne, leur fréquence est passée de 0,7 % en 2013 à 1,0 % en 2020, et au Royaume-Uni, de 1,0 % en 2015 et 1,4 % en 2018. En France, on comptait 170 000 personnes en couple de même sexe cohabitant en 2011, on en dénombre près de 305 000 en 2020, soit 1,0 % des couples cohabitants à cette dernière date. L’augmentation du nombre de couples de femmes est plus marquée que celle de couples d’hommes. Les personnes en couple de même sexe sont, en moyenne, plus jeunes et plus urbaines que celles en couple de sexe différent.

The frequency of cohabiting same-sex couples tripled in the United States between 2000 and 2021, and they now account for 1.8% of households containing a couple. The same trend is observed in Australia, where they accounted for 1.4% of all couples in the 2021 census compared with 0.3% in 2001. In Spain, their prevalence increased from 0.7% in 2013 to 1.0% in 2020, and in the United Kingdom from 1.0% in 2015 to 1.4% in 2018. In France, 305,000 people were in a cohabiting same-sex couple in 2020, representing 1% of cohabiting couples in that year, up from 170,000 in 2011. The number of same-sex couples has increased more markedly for lesbian couples than for gay couples. Partners in same-sex couples are younger and more urban, on average, than those in different-sex couples.

Depuis 2013, la France a suivi de nombreux pays européens en ouvrant le mariage aux couples de même sexe, mais peu d’éléments permettent d’estimer la proportion et les caractéristiques sociodémographiques des couples de même sexe qui ont choisi de se marier. À partir des données d’état civil sur les mariages, nous montrons que les couples d’hommes sont plus âgés et plus souvent parisiens, tandis que les couples de femmes ressemblent davantage aux couples de sexe différent. En revanche, les couples binationaux sont plus rares chez ces dernières. Ces différences traduisent sans doute des variations genrées dans le rapport à l’institution matrimoniale et une plus grande importance des enjeux juridiques liés à l’adoption pour les lesbiennes. Enfin, ce travail situe les couples mariés par rapport aux couples cohabitants présents dans l’enquête Famille et logements, faisant ainsi apparaître certaines spécificités des couples mariés.

This article examines the extent to which the reported frequency of being in a same-sex couple and having same-sex sexual partners changed between 2005 (the date of the last major survey on sexual behaviour in France) and 2014. Data from the EPIC survey on individual and conjugal trajectories (Étude des parcours individuels et conjugaux, INED-INSEE, 2013–2014) confirm that the frequency of such reports is increasing, in accordance with observations in other countries. More men than women report being in a same-sex couple. However, more women than men now report having had a same-sex sexual partner. Despite a context that is seemingly less hostile to homosexuality, notably due to its official recognition through same-sex marriage, reporting of homo-/bisexuality continues to be linked to a certain level of social resources. The trajectories of homo-/bisexual individuals are heterogeneous, and, on average, their characteristics are distinct from those of heterosexual people, reflecting a different relationship to sexuality and conjugality.; Cet article examine dans quelle mesure déclarer vivre en couple de même sexe et avoir des partenaires sexuels du même sexe que soi a évolué entre 2005, date de la dernière enquête sur les comportements sexuels en France, et 2014. L’exploitation de l’enquête Étude des parcours individuels et conjugaux (Épic, Ined-Insee, 2013-2014) confirme l’augmentation de ces déclarations, également observée dans d’autres pays. Les hommes sont relativement plus nombreux à déclarer être en couple de même sexe que les femmes. Ces dernières, en revanche, déclarent désormais plus souvent que les hommes avoir déjà eu un rapport homosexuel. En dépit d’un contexte a priori moins hostile à l’homosexualité, du fait notamment de sa reconnaissance officielle via l’accès des couples de même sexe au mariage, la déclaration de l’homo-bisexualité demeure liée à un certain niveau de ressources sociales. Les trajectoires des personnes homo-bisexuelles sont hétérogènes et présentent, en moyenne, des caractéristiques distinctes de celles des personnes hétérosexuelles, témoignant d’un rapport à la sexualité et à la conjugalité différent.

Thèse sous la direction de Pierre Demeulenaere, Professeur à Sorbonne Université et de Wilfried Rault, Chargé de recherche à l'Ined.

This open access book focuses on family diversity from a legal, demographical and sociological perspective. It investigates what is at stake in the life of homosexuals in the field of family formation, parenting and parenthood, what it brings to everyday life, the support of the law, and what its absence implies. The book shows the paths leading to the adoption of laws while demographic analyses concentrate on the link between registration of same-sex marriages and same-sex parenting with a detailed focus on Spain. The sociological chapters in this book, based upon qualitative surveys in France, Iceland and Italy, underline how the importance of the legal structure influenced the daily life of homosexual families. As such this book is an interesting read to lawyers, demographers, sociologists, behavioural scientists, and all those working in the field.

The past decades have seen significant changes in the way non heterosexual sexualities are regulated in European countries. In a moment of ongoing transitions, the interdisciplinary research presented focuses on aspects related to homosexuals rights and the way LGBT individuals deal and perceive the impact that the presence (or absence) of laws has on their intimate lives.The evolutions in family rights in European laws and the balance towards equal rights, whether you are homosexual or heterosexual, are first detailed with an analysis of typical sequences found in a legal survey.Demographic analyses enrich these aspects in dealing with registration and parenting. Statistical analyses of same-sex partnerships and same-sex marriages show frequencies of registration together with a focus on parenting linked to the partnership status.In the next chapters, same-sex families are specifically studied in their daily life in France, Iceland and Italy through qualitative data. It investigates from a legal point of view and from a social perspective, what is at stake in the changing life of homosexuals in the field of parenting, what brings to everyday life the support of the law and what its absence implies.The Postface opens towards the future of LGBT research.

This postscript highlights the key features of this book, especially its combination of different approaches using legal, demographic and sociological analysis tools, and the comparative perspective that is present throughout. The approach is particularly useful, because the three disciplines that structure the book do not view same-sex families in the same way. Another strand in the book is a more direct reflection on marriage. While marriage has been the symbol of the recognition of sexual minorities in recent years, the book shows that it cannot fully embody it, and invites us to think “beyond marriage”. The last part of this postscript will suggest research themes that could usefully be investigated, provided that suitable tools are used – particularly the tools of quantitative sociology, since the social and scientific visibility of same-sex parenthood does not always mean statistical visibility.

We analyse same-sex partnership and family formation in Europe. We explore how the frequency of same-sex marriage or registered partnership can be associated to macro and micro factors and how parenting appears as a key determinant at both levels. We use the LawsAndFamilies Database, which includes both data on legal developments in family laws and statistical data on the legal recognition of same-sex couples, marriage and registered partnership for a large set of countries. We also use the French census and the Spanish household survey for specific purposes. We first determine crude rates of legal recognition for gay, lesbian and different-sex couples for nine European countries in the period 1980–2017. We second consider macro factors by measuring the impact of legal consequences attached to couples’ recognition on the frequency of same-sex marriage or registered partnering. We expect that the opening of parenting to same-sex couples will affect lesbian more than gay couples and result in more positive trends in women’s nuptiality. We finally explore micro factors related to the family structure expecting that the presence of children will work as an incentive to marry.

Same-sex couples are one component of the growing diversity of family and partnership situations in Europe. Data from six countries that took part in the Generations and Gender Survey (Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden) were used to analyse the respondents’ partnership histories and the sex of current and previous cohabiting partners. After correcting for the coding errors inherent in this type of survey, a Cox model was used to compare the separation risks of different-sex and same-sex couples. The results show that the unadjusted separation risk for same-sex couples is 2.4 times higher than that for different-sex couples, but that this risk decreases after the independent and control variables are included in the model. Marriage and the presence of children, less frequent among same-sex couples, are two key factors that increase the stability of different-sex unions.; Les couples de même sexe s’inscrivent dans un schéma de diversification des situations conjugales et familiales en Europe. L’enquête Générations et genre (Generations and Gender Survey), utilisée ici pour six pays européens (Allemagne, Belgique, France, Norvège, Pays-Bas, Suède), permet d’analyser l’histoire conjugale des individus et le sexe des partenaires avec qui ils ont cohabité au cours de leur vie. Après avoir tenu compte des erreurs d’encodage du sexe inhérentes à ce type d’enquêtes, nous comparons les risques de rupture des couples formés d’un homme et d’une femme aux couples de personnes de même sexe, avec un modèle de Cox. Ces résultats montrent que les couples de même sexe présentent un risque brut plus élevé de connaître une séparation (2,4 ois) que les couples de sexe différent, mais qui se réduit lorsque les variables explicatives et de contrôle sont introduites dans les modèles. Le mariage et la présence d’enfants constituent deux éléments majeurs augmentant la longévité des couples de sexe différent, situations que les couples de même sexe connaissent moins fréquemment.

In 2013, France followed in the footsteps of several other European countries by legalizing same-sex marriage. However, there is a lack of information for estimating the proportion and sociodemographic characteristics of same-sex couples who marry. Using civil registration data on marriages, we show that male couples are older and more commonly live in Paris, while female couples more closely resemble different-sex couples, and binational female couples are rarer than binational male couples. These differences clearly reflect gendered variations in the relationship to the institution of marriage and the greater importance of legal issues regarding adoption for lesbians. This work also situates same-sex married couples in relation to cohabiting couples who participated in the French Family and Housing survey, demonstrating certain specific characteristics among married couples.

Malgré un essor des recherches sur les homosexualités ces dernières décennies, il demeure difficile de caractériser socialement les populations gaies et lesbiennes à partir d’enquêtes réalisées en population générale. Des effectifs suffisants, un échantillon représentatif de la population générale et des indicateurs d’homosexualité et de situations sociales adéquats sont des conditions rarement réunies pour permettre une telle analyse. L’article propose une approche inédite grâce à l’enquête Famille et logements, réalisée en 2011 par l’Insee qui permet, pour la première fois en France, de mettre en œuvre cette démarche à partir de l’étude des personnes qui déclarent « être en couple ». L’analyse met en évidence un niveau de diplôme élevé des femmes et des hommes qui sont en couple de même sexe, ainsi qu’une relative spécificité de leurs positions professionnelles. Plus présents dans les catégories supérieures de la nomenclature des PCS, les gays et les lesbiennes sont surreprésentés dans les secteurs et PCS mixtes et moins présents dans les catégories très ségréguées et dominées numériquement par leur sexe. De ce point de vue, les personnes en couple de même sexe sont plus distantes des normes de genre.

This article examines the extent to which the reported frequency of being in a same-sex couple and having same-sex sexual partners changed between 2005 (the date of the last major survey on sexual behaviour in France) and 2014. Data from the EPIC survey on individual and conjugal trajectories (Étude des parcours individuels et conjugaux, INED-INSEE, 2013–2014) confirm that the frequency of such reports is increasing, in accordance with observations in other countries. More men than women report being in a same-sex couple. However, more women than men now report having had a same-sex sexual partner. Despite a context that is seemingly less hostile to homosexuality, notably due to its official recognition through same-sex marriage, reporting of homo-/bisexuality continues to be linked to a certain level of social resources. The trajectories of homo-/bisexual individuals are heterogeneous, and, on average, their characteristics are distinct from those of heterosexual people, reflecting a different relationship to sexuality and conjugality., Cet article examine dans quelle mesure déclarer vivre en couple de même sexe et avoir des partenaires sexuels du même sexe que soi a évolué entre 2005, date de la dernière enquête sur les comportements sexuels en France, et 2014. L’exploitation de l’enquête Étude des parcours individuels et conjugaux (Épic, Ined-Insee, 2013-2014) confirme l’augmentation de ces déclarations, également observée dans d’autres pays. Les hommes sont relativement plus nombreux à déclarer être en couple de même sexe que les femmes. Ces dernières, en revanche, déclarent désormais plus souvent que les hommes avoir déjà eu un rapport homosexuel. En dépit d’un contexte a priori moins hostile à l’homosexualité, du fait notamment de sa reconnaissance officielle via l’accès des couples de même sexe au mariage, la déclaration de l’homo-bisexualité demeure liée à un certain niveau de ressources sociales. Les trajectoires des personnes homo-bisexuelles sont hétérogènes et présentent, en moyenne, des caractéristiques distinctes de celles des personnes hétérosexuelles, témoignant d’un rapport à la sexualité et à la conjugalité différent.

Same-sex couples are one component of the growing diversity of family and partnership situations in Europe. Data from six countries that took part in the Generations and Gender Survey (Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden) were used to analyse the respondents’ partnership histories and the sex of current and previous cohabiting partners. After correcting for the coding errors inherent in this type of survey, a Cox model was used to compare the separation risks of different-sex and same-sex couples. The results show that the unadjusted separation risk for same-sex couples is 2.4 times higher than that for different-sex couples, but that this risk decreases after the independent and control variables are included in the model. Marriage and the presence of children, less frequent among same-sex couples, are two key factors that increase the stability of different-sex unions., Les couples de même sexe s’inscrivent dans un schéma de diversification des situations conjugales et familiales en Europe. L’enquête Générations et genre (Generations and Gender Survey), utilisée ici pour six pays européens (Allemagne, Belgique, France, Norvège, Pays-Bas, Suède), permet d’analyser l’histoire conjugale des individus et le sexe des partenaires avec qui ils ont cohabité au cours de leur vie. Après avoir tenu compte des erreurs d’encodage du sexe inhérentes à ce type d’enquêtes, nous comparons les risques de rupture des couples formés d’un homme et d’une femme aux couples de personnes de même sexe, avec un modèle de Cox. Ces résultats montrent que les couples de même sexe présentent un risque brut plus élevé de connaître une séparation (2,4 ois) que les couples de sexe différent, mais qui se réduit lorsque les variables explicatives et de contrôle sont introduites dans les modèles. Le mariage et la présence d’enfants constituent deux éléments majeurs augmentant la longévité des couples de sexe différent, situations que les couples de même sexe connaissent moins fréquemment.

Ouvrages recensés Kreyenfeld, Michaela, Konietzka Dirk (eds.), 2017, Childlessness in Europe: Contexts, Causes, and Consequences • Analysé par Angela Greulich, p. 156-158 A. Gotman : Pas d’enfant. La volonté de ne pas engendrer • Analysé par Laurent Toulemon, p. 159-161 A. Schmitz : The Structure of Digital Partner Choice. A Bourdieusian Perspective • Analysé par Milan Bouchet-Valat, p. 162-164 V. Aubourg, G.EID (dir.) : Famille et temps. Modification des liens conjugaux et parentaux • Analysé par Christophe Giraud, p. 165-166 F. Maillochon : La passion du mariage • Analysé par Gaëlle Meslay, p. 167-170 P. Razzell : Mortality, Marriage and Population Growth in England, 1550-1850 • Analysé par Jean-Marc Rohrbasser, p. 170

Despite an increase in research on homosexuality in recent decades, it is still difficult to socially characterize gay and lesbian populations using general population surveys. It is rarely possible to obtain a sample of sufficient size that is representative of the general population, along with the appropriate indicators of homosexuality and social status that are required for such an analysis. This article proposes a novel approach based on data from the Family and Housing survey carried out by INSEE in 2011. For the first time in France, this survey enabled us to implement this approach by studying individuals who report being “in a union”. Our analysis highlights the high levels of education among women and men in same-sex unions, as well as the specific features of their occupational profiles. Gays and lesbians are more present in the higher occupational categories, are over-represented in sectors characterized by equal numbers of men and women and are less present in highly gender-segregated categories that are numerically dominated by their own sex. In this regard, individuals in same-sex unions are less influenced by gender norms.

Different studies of same-sex couples based on the Generations and Gender Survey (GSS) have been published in recent years. However, in this survey, people in gay and lesbian couples are not identified via a direct question but by comparing two separate variables: the sex of the respondent and that of the partner. But the identification of same-sex couples by comparing the sex of both partners is very unreliable. The few sex-coding errors of one of the partners in heterosexual couples generate a very high proportion of ‘‘false’’ same-sex couples among all couples considered to be of the same sex. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the problematic nature of the indicator in order to avoid inappropriate use of GGS data (and other surveys more generally) and to discuss the reliability of analyses of samesex couples made with these data.

Incarnant la reconnaissance du couple de meme sexe dans des termes differents du mariage, le Pacte civil de solidarite (pacs) est, depuis sa creation en 1999, de plus en plus souvent choisi par des couples de sexe different. Si les transformations contemporaines des formes d’union et les changements dans le domaine de la sexualite sont souvent etudies separement, cet article rompt avec cette dissociation pour interroger l’hypothese selon laquelle les contractant.e.s du pacs donnent a voir des attitudes et des comportements vis-a-vis de la sexualite qui font echo a la diversification normative constatee par le groupe Contexte de la sexualite en France (CSF). On etudie, a partir de l’enquete CSF realisee par l’Inserm et l’Ined en 2005-2006 aupres de 12 364 personnes, le rapport des pacse.e.s aux trois principales composantes du socle normatif dominant en matiere de sexualite : l’heterosexualite, les modalites de l’intrication de la conjugalite et de la sexualite et la valorisation de pratiques « alternatives ». Les pacse.e.s sont compares a d’autres profils d’union. En definitive, les usagers de la nouvelle forme d’union se caracterisent par des specificites qui tiennent davantage a des representations plus liberales de la sexualite qu’a des differences en termes de pratiques. Ces specificites ne doivent pas dissimuler d’importants clivages par sexe, meme si hommes et femmes sont parfois relativement plus proches dans le groupe des pacse.e.s.

The recommendations recently issued by the Conference of European Statisticians (CES) for the next round of population and housing censuses underline for the first time that some countries might find it in their interest to enumerate same-sex couples. Many pitfalls can be expected when such a sensitive topic is newly included in a census. The experience of the few western countries that have already taken initiatives in this direction helps identify difficulties to be faced and suggest "good practices" to be adopted. Coverage is extended to countries which rely on permanent registers rather than periodic censuses to enumerate their population. (authors)

The dynamics of family formation and disruption have changed in contemporary societies. Compared to previous decades, more people cohabit, have children outside marital unions, experience the dissolution of their unions, re-partner, enter stepfamilies, live separately from their children or remain childless. Family life courses have become increasingly diverse as the sequence of events and the pace at which they occur have become less standardized than before. Moreover, new types of households such as single parent families, Living-Apart- Together relationships and same sex couples are emerging. This report contains a comprehensive literature overview of state-of-the-art knowledge about the dynamics of the development of family constellations and non-standard families. It discusses how current research can be further developed to improve our understanding of determinants of changes in family structure. It underlines that future research needs to consider the family as a dynamic entity.

Since its creation in France in 1999, the civil partnership (Pacte civil de solidarité, or PACS), which provides recognition for same-sex couples in terms other than those of marriage, has become increasingly popular among heterosexual couples. While contemporary transformations in types of union and in sexuality are often studied independently, this article breaks with this dissociation to challenge the hypothesis whereby individuals who register a PACS in France present attitudes and behaviours with respect to sexuality that reflect the normative diversification observed by the group "Context of Sexuality in France" (Contexte de la sexualité en France, CSF). Using data from the CSF survey of 12,364 individuals conducted by INED and INSERM in 2005-2006, we studied the relationship of individuals in PACS unions with the three main components of the dominant normative order in sexuality: heterosexuality, interlinking of conjugality and sexuality, and the value placed on "alternative" practices. PACS unions are compared with other types of union. We find that persons who opt for the new type of registered partnership have specific characteristics that relate more to liberal representations of sexuality than to actual differences in practice. Behind this specificity lies a considerable gap between the sexes, even though differences between men and women in PACS unions are sometimes relatively smaller.

rapport scientifique d’une recherche financée par le GIP « Mission de Recherche Droit et justice »

The present volume reports the proceedings of a conference that took place in Stockholm in September 2003. It was a joint venture, which associated the department of Economic History at Stockholm University, as a host of the event, and the International Comparison research unit at INED, as a co-ordinator of the preparatory and editing activities. The two institutions channelled the necessary funding. The introductory text by Marie Digoix is entitled “Paths towards equality...” It is probably the most elegant and concise answer to those who would wonder about the interest historians could take in the conference. Recognition of rights to the homosexuals has been a long way and often a tough fight along the 20th century, which have involved intellectuals, activists, politicians, etc. and which have shared a lot of similarities with movements towards the recognition of women’s rights, children’s rights, etc. Since 1989 in Denmark, then in other countries, rights have been attached not to individuals but to same-sex couples who register before public authorities, through acts that do not differ formally from birth, death or marriage acts. This publicity has put homosexual partnership under the observation, the numbering and the quantitative analysis by demographers, the same way the “bills of mortality” had opened John Graunt the doors of political arithmetic, the ancestor of demography. This joint initiative by historians and demographers has attracted scholars from a much broader panel of disciplines. Their contributions are compiled here.