Composition and size of close social networks among older adults in same-sex and different-sex couples.

OBJECTIVES: This study examines differences in the composition and size of the close social network among older adults in same-sex and different-sex coresidential unions.

METHODS: Using pooled, probability-based, cross-sectional data from the 2006-2022 Health and Retirement Study, weighted fractional probit and negative binomial regression models were estimated to examine differences in close network composition (proportions of close children, immediate family members, and friends) and network size (number of close ties).

RESULTS: Compared with older adults in different-sex unions, those in same-sex unions reported a higher proportion of friends and a lower proportion of children and immediate family members in their close network, though overall network size was comparable. Supplemental analyses suggested heterogeneity in these patterns. The same-sex versus different-sex gap in friend composition was larger among males than females and was similarly larger among those who were cohabiting than married. Finally, in terms of network size, males in same-sex couples reported smaller close networks than males in different-sex couples, whereas network size was equivalent between females in same-sex and different-sex couples.

DISCUSSION: Beyond their partners, older adults in same-sex unions cultivate distinctly friend-centered close networks. This pattern reflects a history of intentionally built chosen ties that queers dominant assumptions about who partnered older adults designate as close. These findings affirm the importance of policies and practices that acknowledge diverse family arrangements, particularly those rooted in chosen kinship, as a fundamental step toward achieving social equity.