How I Met My Partner: Online Dating and the Homogamy Gap Between Same‐Sex and Different‐Sex Couples

ABSTRACT Objective This study examines whether online dating helps explain differences in homogamy between same‐sex and different‐sex couples in the United States. Background Same‐sex couples tend to exhibit lower levels of homogamy than different‐sex couples, yet the mechanisms underlying these differences remain unclear. Online dating may either explain or suppress homogamy gaps by expanding access to diverse partner pools while simultaneously enabling selective filtering based on characteristics such as race, education, and age. Method Using data from the 2017 HCMST survey, this study estimates associations between partnership type, meeting partners online, and racial, educational, and age homogamy. Regression models are complemented by structural equation modeling to assess mediation and by interaction models to evaluate whether associations differ by partnership type. Results Same‐sex couples are more likely than different‐sex couples to have met their partners online and are less likely to be homogamous in race, education, and age. Online dating is associated with smaller age gaps for both same‐sex and different‐sex couples and suppresses the observed age homogamy gap between partnership types. In contrast, online dating does not meaningfully explain differences in racial or educational homogamy. Interaction analyses indicate that online dating is associated with higher racial heterogamy among same‐sex couples but not among different‐sex couples. Conclusion Online dating does not sufficiently explain homogamy gaps between same‐sex and different‐sex couples. Instead, structural constraints in partner markets and differences in partner selection processes likely play a more central role in shaping patterns of homogamy.