The role of cohabitation in family formation: The United States in comparative perspective

Heuveline, Patrick; Timberlake, Jeffrey M.

doi:10.1111/j.0022-2445.2004.00088.x

Cited by 391 publications

(479 citation statements)

References 29 publications

(51 reference statements)

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“…We included both cohabiting and married couples in our analyses. The incidence of cohabitation is Germany high, the duration is short, and a high percentage of cohabiting unions end in marriage (Heuveline & Timberlake, 2004). Prior research in the United States has suggested that the association between economic factors and relationship quality does not vary by relationship type (Hardie & Lucas, 2010).…”

Section: The Current Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

His and Hers: Economic Factors and Relationship Quality in Germany

Hardie¹

2017

Preprint

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Research has linked economic factors to relationship quality in the United States, primarily using cross-sectional data. In the current study, 2 waves of the Panel Analysis of Intimate Relationships and Family Dynamics data (n = 2,937) were used to test the gendered association between economic factors and relationship satisfaction among young German couples. In contrast to U.S.-based studies, the findings showed striking gender differences in the association between economic factors and relationship satisfaction for Germans. In cross-sectional models, women's relationship satisfaction was positively associated with receiving government economic support, and men's satisfaction was positively associated with poverty status and negatively associated with being a breadwinner. Longitudinal models revealed that changes in poverty status are associated with women's satisfaction, but men's satisfaction remains tied to their role as family provider. These unexpected results suggest that men's satisfaction is positively associated with a more equal division of labor market activity between partners. Keywords cohabitation; family economics; fixed effects models; marriage; relationship quality; western European families Economic circumstances and romantic relationship quality are interrelated in adults' lives. Economic well-being predicts entry into romantic relationships (McLaughlin, Lichter, & Johnston, 1993;Oppenheimer, 1988;Oppenheimer, Kalmijn, & Lim, 1997;Sweeney, 2002), whereas union formation can improve both partners' economic stability. Once formed, the quality of these relationships plays a significant role in emotional well-being and physical health (Dush, Taylor, & Kroeger, 2008;Proulx, Helms, & Buehler, 2007;Wickrama & Elder, 1997), which can produce economic returns. Finally, research has demonstrated that * Department of Sociology, Hunter College, City University of New York, 695 Park Ave., 16th Floor Hunter West, New York, NY 10065. ** Department of Sociology, University of Houston-Clear Lake, 2700 Bay Area Blvd., Box 11, Houston, TX 77058. Department of Sociology, University of Utah, Room 301, 380 S 1530 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84112 (claudia.geist@soc.utah.edu). NIH Public Access NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript economic strain is associated with lower relationship quality among couples Conger et al., 1990;Conger, Conger, & Martin, 2010;Conger & Elder, 1994;Conger, Rueter, & Elder, 1999;Fox & Chancey, 1998;Hardie & Lucas, 2010;Robila & Krishnakumar, 2005;White & Rogers, 2000).However, research on the relationship between economic factors and relationship quality has been based primarily on cross-sectional data from the United States. Considerably less research has examined the association between economic factors and romantic relationship quality in other settings and over time. Studies of relationship dynamics often tacitly assume that findings apply cross-nationally. A growing body of comparative family literature (e.g., Cooke & Gash, 2010;Liefbroer & Dou...

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Section: The Current Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

His and Hers: Economic Factors and Relationship Quality in Germany

Hardie¹

2017

Preprint

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“…En somme, à l'instar d'autres sociétés (Heuveline et Timberlake, 2004), l'union libre et le mariage au Québec semblent désormais très similaires. Dans ce contexte, si l'hypothèse de la sélec-tion est juste, on devrait pouvoir trouver un modèle permettant de prédire la mise en commun des revenus qui est aussi performant qu'un modèle incluant l'état matrimonial comme valeur explicative.…”

Section: La Diversité Des Couples En Union Libre Au Québecunclassified

La gestion commune au sein des couples : une question de mariage ou pas ?

Belleau¹,

Lavallée

Seery

2018

cqd

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Dans plusieurs pays, on observe que les couples mariés tendent à gérer ensemble leur argent alors que les couples en union libre sont plus enclins à le gérer séparément. L’objectif de cet article est de déterminer si ces différences sont aussi présentes au Québec où les unions libres sont largement répandues et d’identifier d’autres variables que l’état matrimonial pour expliquer ces différences. L’étude s’appuie sur une enquête québécoise inédite (n = 3246) réalisée en 2015 par Belleau et collab. (2017) et portant sur les arrangements économiques des couples et les enjeux juridiques qui s’y rattachent. Les résultats de deux analyses de régression logistique confirment l’existence d’un modèle explicatif permettant de mieux comprendre la mise en commun des revenus qui tient compte de variables telles que : la durée de la vie commune, la présence d’enfant commun, le fait d’être copropriétaire et les connaissances juridiques. Les auteures soulignent qu’il est impératif que les lois privées, sociales et fiscales soient adaptées aux situations réelles des couples du Québec, peu importe qu’ils soient mariés ou non.

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“…Once marriage was no longer the only context for childbearing and unmarried cohabiting couples increasingly had children (Sobotka and Toulemon 2008) -because of changing norms and values that broke the traditional link between marriage and childbearing (Billari 2001) -unmarried cohabitation became an alternative to marriage (Manning 1993;Smock 2000;Raley 2001;Kiernan 2004). Several classifications of unmarried cohabitation offer an insight into how this type of relationship has evolved over time, from a prelude to marriage to an alternative (Heuveline and Timberlake 2004;Perrelli-Harris et al 2009;Hiekel, Liefbroer, and Poortman 2012). The speed of this evolution differs between European regions.…”

Section: Theory and Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 99%