Spatial Segregation of Same-Sex Couples: The Example of Brazil

Thomas Stein, Center for Demographic Studies (Barcelona)
Antonio Lopez-Gay, Center for Demographic Studies (Barcelona)
Ana Maria Goldani, Princeton University

This paper analyzes spatial distribution of domestic same-sex couples using newly released microdata from the Brazilian census 2010, including an explicit reference on same-sex partnerships. The public 10% microdata file allows examining partnered gays’ and lesbians’ socio-demographic characteristics comparing with men and women in heterosexual unions. Contrary to the US, these microdata provide enough geographical information for examining same-sex couples’ spatial distribution by sub districts retaining those individuals’ character-istics residing in these areas. We use multilevel logistic regression for finding individual and contextual factors correlated to partnered gays’ and lesbians’ residential patterns. Our results show that same-sex couples segregate more than heterosexual unions, gays more than lesbians. Also the more urban the analyzed area the higher the segregation is. Although contextual variables hardly explain location preferences of same-sex couples descriptive analyzes show specific characteristics of particularly gay communities. However those characteristics are possessed by several neighborhoods without similar gay presence.