Grasping the diversity of cohabitation:Fertility intentions among cohabiters across Europe

The study addresses the diversity of cohabitation across Europe and examines whether the meanings cohabiters attach to their unions are differently associated with intentions to have a child. Using data from the Generations and Gender Surveys on 3,006 cohabiters from nine European countries, we propose a cohabitation typology, based on intentions to marry, attitudes towards marriage, and subjective economic deprivation, and explore whether the links between cohabitation type and fertility intentions differ across Western and Eastern European countries. We find that the meaning of cohabitation, net of other covariates, influences fertility intentions and that, although cohabitation is quickly overtaking direct marriage as the leading form of union entry, there is little empirical evidence supporting the view that marriage and childbearing decisions are about to detach completely. In all countries examined, cohabiters who view cohabitation as a “prelude to marriage” are most likely to report short-term fertility intentions.