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U.S. Census Finally Counts Gay Spouses as Families—and Other Things You Never Knew About Our National Tally

Hayley Fox
September 25, 2014
Takepart.com

Gay couples didn’t really exist until 1990, as far as the U.S. Census goes.

Before that year, it was census procedure to “fix” the data collected from same-sex couples so that it represented a heterosexual couple in the tally, said Catherine Fitch, associate director of the Minnesota Population Center, a unit dedicated to demographic study. This procedure of randomly assigning boy-girl coupledom was a normal part of the census’ check for respondent errors—done in the same officious manner a census statistician would delete a listed occupation for a child, she said.

After 1990, realization set in: These so-called fixes were changing the intended responses from Americans in same-sex relationships. Between then and now, the federal tally of the American people that tracks our demographic variances shifted its policy to count gay couples as “unmarried partners” most of the time, if at all. But it stopped short of allowing gay couples to identify themselves as "spouses."

Last week the U.S. Census Bureau released its 2013 American Communities Survey; it marks the first time gay married couples were counted the same way heterosexual spouses are. For the first time we know: There were 252,000 households led by same-sex married couples in 2013. Prior to that, gay couples had been continually miscategorized or underrepresented.

Part of the problem was that the census moves “more slowly than social norms,” Fitch said.

Census numbers are important to keep track of to keep tabs on the ever-shifting U.S. population and chart the changing demographics of a diverse country. But the census is also used to determine the number of congressional seats allocated to each state and the amount of federal funding that goes to state and local communities.

Of course, LGBT Americans are just the latest demographic slighted by census officials, who have struggled to keep up with changing societal norms.

Since the census' earliest version, dating to 1790, nearly every demographic group has been subject to misrepresentation.

Shacking Up

The census has been slow to let go of the concept of a “traditional” household structure. As people began living together before marriage, as gay couples have become more publicly prevalent, and as family situations have grown more complex, the census has struggled to represent these new-school relationships, said Fitch.

“Household measurement since the 1980s has become more complicated as households have become similarly more complicated,” she said.

Although many see the census’ recent acknowledgement of gay married couples as a sign of the country’s progression, other census standards are downright old-fashioned.

“I think actually the issue that is overdue is dealing with unmarried partners of any sex,” said Fitch. “That’s been going on longer than same-sex marriage has been legal.”

The census’ largest study, the American Communities Survey, allows respondents (such as boyfriends and girlfriends who live together) to select “unmarried partner” in the relationship question, but they must report themselves as “unmarried” in the marital status box.

Even when couples were married, women were often second-class citizens. In the beginning of the 20th century, the first person listed on a census form was typically the male “head” of the home, said Fitch. His wife, relatives, servants, and farmhands were listed beneath, and in relation to, him.

Multiracial America

For the last few decades, the U.S. Census has struggled to adequately represent the increasing number of citizens who can’t be simply classified by one race, said Fitch.

“It has become more common for people of different races to marry and have children,” said Fitch.

Fewer Americans are just “White” or just “Asian,” and their identity can’t be adequately expressed by checking one “race” box. But it wasn’t until the 2000 census people were given the option to check multiple boxes to reflect how they truly identify.

“Race has always been a complicated census issue because it’s a complicated identity issue,” said Fitch.

Many racial groups are lumped together in categories not representative of their background. For instance, the census considers Arabs, Turks, and Kurds as “White,” because their origin is the Middle East, home to the Caucasus (roughly, the region between the Black and Caspian seas that is the origin of the term "Caucasian") and original Aryans (Indo-Europeans, such as Iranians).

Others decide to classify themselves as such. Between the 2000 and 2010 censuses, 2.5 million Latinos changed their racial identification from “some other race” to “White” (Latino was not an option for the “race” category).

DARK DAYS OF SLAVERY

In the 19th Century, there were different categories for black people who were slaves, and those who were free. At the time, people didn’t fill out the census themselves but instead had an official “enumerator” did it for them.

These census-takers had a tendency to accidentally check the “idiotic” and “insane” column on the censuses of Northern blacks, said Fitch, making it appear like a large percentage of black people living in free states were mentally ill.

Although the census has obviously come a long way since there, there is still controversial terminology that remains. As recent as 2010, the census taken every ten years includes a race category called “Black, African Am., or Negro.”

AND YET... IN DEFENSE OF THE CENSUS

While we may be quick to criticize the census’ ability to keep up with societal norms, the bureau has a lot working against it as well, said Fitch. The census is overseen by Congress, and each question is scrutinized by members. Some of the subject matter advances that have been made in today’s surveys may not be supported by all of the country’s politicians.

“Some members of Congress wouldn’t be excited for them to be measuring same sex couples,” said Fitch.

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About time!  I refused to participate in the last census because of this issue.

"Fear Eats the Soul"