Understanding the global rise in cohabitation

The objective of this work is to study the factors that affect the decision to enter into cohabitation or marriage in the first union among Uruguayan women, in the framework of a significant increase in consensual unions in Uruguay during the last two decades. This work aims at contributing to a better understanding of the determining factors that underlie the choice of one or other type of union among women who enter into first unions, and in particular to understand the interaction of structural and value-related factors. For this purpose, we have analyzed the form of entry into first unions using proportional risk models and taking into consideration three groups of variables: structural, background, and variables related to values and attitudes. We expect to find differences in the choice of union type and, in particular, of the time of transitioning into marriage, based on social strata and values.

A recent boom in cohabitation in Mexico has sparked a debate about whether it is a new form or a renascence of the old. To be clear, the characterization of the old form of cohabitation focuses mostly about who cohabits and who does not (i.e., the low educated, etc.), but says little about its duration or dissolution via marriage and separation. Regrettably, claims of a new form of cohabitation are meted out without a thorough examination of cohabitation as a process. Therefore, I propose to establish a more accurate baseline using a multi-state transition formulation. Using data from two nationally representative surveys, this paper investigates the dynamism surrounding cohabitation as a status in matrix of possibilities, which is yet to be well understood. The current project contributes towards better understanding of the changing demographics of cohabitation in Mexico, and the nature and meaning of cohabitation around the world.

Across the industrialized world, more and more couples are living together without being married. Although researchers have studied the increase in cohabitation using quantitative data, few have investigated this phenomenon using qualitative data. In this study, we use focus group research to compare the meaning of cohabitation and marriage in Australia and nine countries in Europe. Collaborators conducted eight focus groups in each country, coded each discussion, and produced a standardized country report. We are now analyzing this data to compare results across countries. We examine themes such as the advantages and disadvantages of cohabitation and marriage, barriers and motivations to marry, and the appropriate life stages to marry. We also examine the role of children and policies in potentially prompting marriage, as well as perceptions about the future of marriage. The comparative nature of this research highlights similarities and differences across societies and draws out country-specific distinctions. In addition, because we have stratified the groups by gender and education, we can better understand within-country heterogeneity and look for parallels in group responses across countries. Taken as a whole, this study illuminates how cultures shape decision-making processes fundamental to partnership formation.