Why do people live apart together?

Abstract

yesInterpretations of living apart together (LAT) have typically counter-posed 'new family form' versus 'continuist' perspectives. Recent surveys, however, construct LAT as a heterogeneous category that supports a 'qualified continuist' position - most people live apart as a response to practical circumstances or as a modern version of 'boy/girlfriend', although a minority represents something new in preferring to live apart more permanently. This article interrogates this conclusion by examining in depth why people live apart together, using a nationally representative survey from Britain and interview accounts from 2011. Our analysis shows that LAT as a category contains different sorts of relationship, with different needs and desires. While overall coupledom remains pivotal and cohabitation remains the goal for most, LAT allows people flexibility and room to manoeuvre in adapting couple intimacy to the demands of contemporary life. Hence, we suggest, LAT is both 'new' and a 'continuation'.ESRCOpen access obtained (gold)The full text of the published article is open access. Full text of the author's final draft was released to the Repository 09/10/2014 at the end of the publisher's embargo period

Partnership trajectories of people in stable non-cohabiting relationships in France

“…By freeing them from the household tasks that cohabitation involves, this form of relationship enables young women to continue to devote themselves to their education and career (Di Giulio 2007), so women see many advantages in non-cohabitation (Levin 2004). Yet research by Simon Duncan et al (2013) in Britain shows that few women mention non-cohabitation as a way of escaping the traditional role division. More generally, Gilda Charrier and Marie-Laure Déroff consider that living apart together is based on a greater respect for each person's lifestyle, assumed to be different (Charrier and Déroff 2005), and enables a shared matrimonial life to be kept at a distance so as to be able to define oneself personally (Charrier 2008).…”

“…As a result there may be various reasons for not living together in a new intimate relationship. Parents may want to avoid imposing a stepparent on their children from a previous relationship (Levin and Trost 1999;Bawin-Legros and Gauthier 2001;Levin 2004;Duncan et al 2013). Widows and widowers who want to maintain good relations with their children or grandchildren may have similar reasons for not living with a new partner (Caradec 1997).…”

“…Widows and widowers who want to maintain good relations with their children or grandchildren may have similar reasons for not living with a new partner (Caradec 1997). Alternatively, living apart may be adopted as a precaution, either at the start of a relationship in order to have time to test its solidity or, more deliberately, in order to avoid repeating past errors and running the risk of another divorce or separation after painful memories of the first (Levin 2004;Duncan et al 2013).…”

“…The heterogeneity of non-coresidential partnerships has been highlighted across different studies in which various typologies have been proposed, based either on quantitative data (Villeneuve-Gokalp 1997;Régnier-Loilier, Beaujouan, and Villeneuve-Gokalp 2009;Reimondos, Evans, and Gray 2011) or on a qualitative approach (Levin 2004;Roseneil 2006;Duncan and Philips 2010;Duncan et al 2013;Stoilova et al 2014).…”

“…' Duncan et al (2013) have proposed a typology based on two axes, from 'stage' to 'state' and from 'preference' to 'constraint.' These various studies all highlight the plurality of situations that come under the LAT heading.…”