The ABS has released data on same sex families from the Census. It is important to note that despite us lobbying the government since 2016 for a census that accurately counts our families, the last Census left many of our families invisible. The ABS outline the flawed data collection on their website, and community member Justine talked about her experience of the Census here.
What does the data tell us?
Same sex data
The 2021 Census counted 78,425 same-sex couples living together in Australia which is a 67.7% increase in the 5 years since the 2016 Census. Furthermore, this is a 132.6% increase in the 10 years since the 2011 Census.
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).
Lesbian Mums and Gay Dads
In 2021, 17.3% of the 78,425 same-sex couples living together were couples with children, an increase from 14.8%.
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Female same-sex couples were more likely to have children (27.7%) compared to male same-sex couples (7.0%)
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Same-sex couples accounted for 1.4% of all couples living together in Australia in 2021, up from 0.9% in 2016.
We are already meeting with the government and the ABS to ensure that our families are accurately counted in the next Census. To read the full article on the ABS website click here.