Intimacy and autonomy, gender and ageing: Living apart together

Love Will Keep Us Apart? Understanding Living Apart Together Partnerships in the Post-state-socialist Czech Republic

“…But I don't know, because I have my whole family here and the minute I come back from the US [where Vá-clav lives-authors' note], I feel like I'm in my element. (Vlasta,82,widowed,four children,retired) In line with fi ndings from other research studies, it appears that, next to the emotional closeness and support that comes from an intimate relationship, older women living in a LAT relationship want to hold on to their previous habits [Karlsson and Borell 2002]. Similarly, Upton-Davis [2012] has discussed the importance of a LAT relationship in older age as a safeguard against loneliness without the need to give up the network of alternative social relationships.…”

“…The fact that 'not living with a partner does not necessarily mean not having one' was recognised only recently [Roseneil 2006: 95]. LATs are usually categorised as singles, except in research studies specifi cally focused on LAT partnerships [Karlsson and Borell 2002]. Nevertheless, data collected in Great Britain suggest that LAT partnerships should not be overlooked in the research on intimate relationships, as up to 25% of adults who are not cohabiting are in fact living apart together [Duncan et al 2014:1].…”

Do co-residence and intentions make a difference? Relationship satisfaction in married, cohabiting, and living apart together couples in four countries

“…Duncan and Phillips (2010) report that about 10% of adults in the UK are living in a LAT relationship, with similar figures reported for the US, Australia, and other European countries (Kiernan 2000;Reimondos, Evans, and Gray 2011;Strohm et al 2010).The proportion of individuals in LAT relationships is high amongst younger age groups, and the never married. But there is also evidence that LAT relationships are relatively common amongst older age groups in some countries, particularly for divorced and widowed people, who may desire an intimate partnership whilst also retaining a high degree of autonomy (Karlsson and Borell 2002). It has also been suggested that LAT unions will become more common over time.…”

“…For example, individuals who hold more traditional views about marriage may be more likely to marry than to cohabit, and may report higher levels of relationship satisfaction than other groups as a result of their beliefs. On the other hand, individuals who are older and previously married with established housing and preferences for staying in their current neighborhood may be more likely to enter LAT relationships than to relocate to a new household in a different setting (Karlsson and Borell 2002). Thus, as discussed below, it is important to control for a range of individual, household, and contextual differences in order to isolate the association between union type and relationship satisfaction.…”

Living Apart Together (LAT) and Law

“…In Belgium, as well in other industrialized countries, partnerships in which the members do not share a common dwelling (living apart together, or LAT) are growing increasingly visible (Beaujouan et al, 2009;Levin, 2004;Levin and Trost, 1999), particularly among divorced and widowed individuals (De Jong Gierveld, 2004a;Ghazanfareeon Karlsson and Borell, 2002). Estimating the incidence of LAT is a complex task, for individuals engaged in LAT partnerships are not registered in any official statistics (Borell and Ghazanfareeon Karlsson, 2003).…”