An Estimate of Housing Discrimination Against Same-Sex Couples

80 Pages Posted: 30 Jul 2013

See all articles by Samantha Friedman

Samantha Friedman

SUNY University at Albany

Angela Reynolds

M. Davis and Company, Inc.

Susan Scovill

M. Davis and Company, Inc.

Florence Brassier

M. Davis and Company, Inc.

Ron Campbell

M. Davis and Company, Inc.

McKenzie Ballou

M. Davis and Company, Inc.

Date Written: June 1, 2013

Abstract

This is the first large-scale, paired-testing study to assess housing discrimination against same-sex couples in metropolitan rental markets via advertisements on the Internet. The research is based on 6,833 e-mail correspondence tests conducted in 50 metropolitan markets across the United States from June through October 2011. For each correspondence test, two e-mails were sent to the housing provider, each inquiring about the availability of the unit advertised on the Internet. The only difference between the two e-mails was the sexual orientation of the couple making the inquiry. Two sets of correspondence tests were conducted, one assessing the treatment of gay male couples relative to heterosexual couples and one assessing the treatment of lesbian couples relative to heterosexual couples. This methodology provides the first direct evidence of discriminatory treatment of same-sex couples compared with the treatment of heterosexual couples when searching for rental housing advertised on the Internet in the United States.

The study finds that same-sex couples experience less favorable treatment than heterosexual couples in the online rental housing market. The primary form of adverse treatment is that same-sex couples receive significantly fewer responses to e-mail inquiries about advertised units than heterosexual couples. Study results in jurisdictions with state-level protections against housing discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation unexpectedly show slightly more adverse treatment of same-sex couples than results in jurisdictions without such protections. This study provides an important initial observation of discrimination based on sexual orientation at the threshold stage of the rental transaction and is a point of departure for future research on housing discrimination against same-sex couples.

Keywords: 2013, Discrimination, Housing, HUD

Suggested Citation

Friedman, Samantha and Reynolds, Angela and Scovill, Susan and Brassier, Florence and Campbell, Ron and Ballou, McKenzie, An Estimate of Housing Discrimination Against Same-Sex Couples (June 1, 2013). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2284243 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2284243

Samantha Friedman (Contact Author)

SUNY University at Albany ( email )

135 Western Ave
Building, Room 109
Albany, NY 12222
United States

Angela Reynolds

M. Davis and Company, Inc. ( email )

3000 Market St.
Suite 202
Philadelphia, PA 19104
United States

Susan Scovill

M. Davis and Company, Inc. ( email )

3000 Market St.
Suite 202
Philadelphia, PA 19104
United States

Florence Brassier

M. Davis and Company, Inc.

3000 Market St.
Suite 202
Philadelphia, PA 19104
United States

Ron Campbell

M. Davis and Company, Inc.

3000 Market St.
Suite 202
Philadelphia, PA 19104
United States

McKenzie Ballou

M. Davis and Company, Inc.

3000 Market St.
Suite 202
Philadelphia, PA 19104
United States

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