The Williams Institute

The Irish government has announced its intention to enact a civil partnership law that would for the first time offer formal legal recognition to same-sex couples in the Republic of Ireland. The 2006 Irish Census revealed that there were 2,090 same-sex cohabiting couples in the country. Analyses of data from the United States Census Bureau suggest these are not the only couples who might avail themselves of civil partnership: • More than 1,200 Irish-born men and women are living with a same-sex partner in the United States. • They are predominantly female and highly educated. One in seven reports raising children. • Civil partnership legislation could provide economic benefits to Ireland, enticing some of these talented same-sex couples to relocate back to Ireland and making the country more competitive in the global creative economy.