Is the Cohabitation-Marriage Gap in Money Pooling Universal?

This paper contributes to the comparative research on the money pooling practices among married and cohabiting couples. Specifically, it compares married and cohabiting couples in the francophone province of Quebec and in the rest of Canada. These regions provide an excellent opportunity for comparative research given their profound socio-cultural differences. The levels of cohabitation in English speaking Canada are moderate whereas Quebec is the society with the highest proportion of cohabiting couples in the world. Moreover, the two regions differ in their legal systems (Common Law principles versus Civil Code) and regulation of cohabitation. The analysis is based on the 2011 General Social Survey that includes a set of questions on the money management and income pooling in the household as well as the full conjugal and fertility histories of respondents.