The Williams Institute

As public discussion of the issue of marriage equality for same-sex couples continues in many parts of the United States, policymakers have asked about the larger economic impact of recognizing same-sex couples. This brief outlines the potential benefits and costs to businesses if states grant marriage rights or domestic partner/civil union status to same-sex couples. We assume that those state policies would require employers to treat same-sex spouses or partners of employees in the same way that different-sex spouses are treated.