Newswise — BOWLING GREEN, O.— Scholarly and media attention to same-sex relationships has skyrocketed in recent years. Yet social science research has not kept pace with the patterns and implications of same-sex relationships in the contemporary context. Bowling Green State University will take a closer look at the research into same-sex relationships during a symposium on March 26. “Same-Sex Couples: Frontiers in Measurement and Analysis” runs from 8:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. in 201 Bowen-Thompson Student Union.

The Center for Family and Demographic Research and the National Center for Family and Marriage Research at BGSU will host three distinguished scholars who will discuss their research findings as well as reflect on the challenges and opportunities related to new research on same-sex couples.

Dr. Esther Rothblum, professor of women’s studies at San Diego State University, will discuss “Challenges and Opportunities in Studying the Longest ‘Legal’ Same-Sex Couples in North America.”

The marital dynamics and health of gay, lesbian and heterosexual couples will be the featured topic of Dr. Debra Umberson’s presentation. Umberson is the Centennial Professor in Liberal Arts and a professor of sociology at the University of Texas at Austin.

Dr. Gary Gates, Williams Distinguished Scholar, The Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law, will discuss “Measuring Same-Sex Couples in U.S. Census Bureau Data: Challenges and Solutions.”