Accurately measuring the number of people who are LGBTIQA+ in Australia is a significant gap in research. Population-level data is important because it informs our “understanding of health and wellbeing needs of LGBTIQ people, and the development of policy and programs for LGBTIQ communities” (Carman, et al., 2020, p. 2). The Australian Human Rights Commission have therefore estimated that “up to 11 in 100 Australians may have a diverse sexual orientation, sex or gender identity.”
Defining sexual and gender identity is complex and the use of correct and respectful terminology is important. The ABS attempted to acknowledge the diversity of the Australian population by including a third option to the question about being male or female in the 2016 Census. However, the addition of ‘other’ as a response option highlighted that collection of this data is far more complex and requires a more nuanced and considered approach for collecting data on gender identity.
The 2021 Census counted 78,425 same-sex couples living together in Australia, which was a 67% increase since the 2016 Census (ABS, 2022). According to the ABS (2022), the increase “in the reported number of same-sex couples may in part reflect greater willingness by people to identify themselves as being in a same-sex relationship and an improvement over the last 20 years in the rights of same-sex couples.”
The median age for people in same-sex couples living together was 40 years old in 2021, remaining consistent across the last three Census cycles. This median age was younger than the median age of all couples living together (49 years old; ABS, 2022).
When comparing males and females in same-sex couples, females had a slightly younger age profile than males.
2021
20% of the females in same-sex couples living together were under 30 years of age, whereas 15.5% of males in same-sex couples were in this age cohort.
23.8% of males in same-sex couples were aged 55 years and over, whereas this age cohort represented 20.0% of females in same-sex couples (ABS, 2022).
One in three (30.0%) same-sex couples were married.
17.3% of the 78,425 same-sex couples living together in the 2021 Census were couples with children, an increase from 14.8% in 2016.
Female same-sex couples were more likely to have children (27.7%) compared to male same-sex couples (7.0%; ABS, 2022).
Overall, the number of same-sex couples with children increased significantly in 2021. Male same-sex couples with children grew by 1,700 or 161% and female same-sex couple families increased by 4,900 or 84% since 2016.