Like Attract Like? A Structural Comparison of Homogamy across Same-Sex and Different-Sex Households

In this paper, we extend Gary Becker’s empirical analysis of the marriage market to same-sex couples. We build an equilibrium model of the same-sex marriage market that allows for straightforward identification of the gains of marriage. We estimate the model with 2008–12 American Community Survey data on California and find that positive assortative mating is weaker for same-sex couples than for different-sex couples with respect to age and race. Positive assortative mating on education is stronger among female same-sex couples but comparable for male same-sex and different-sex couples. As regards labor market outcomes, our results suggest that specialization within the household mainly applies to different-sex couples.