Union formation among first time parents in Sweden

The aim of the study is to investigate union formation around year 2000. The data used is based on information from the Swedish Total Population Register and covers the about 30 000 couples that had their first biological child in 2000. The couples are followed from the day that they started living together to a possible separation or the end of 2010. The couple is assumed to live together if both partners are registered in the same dwelling unit. In the study different events of family formation are studied, moving in together, getting married, and having the first and possibly more children. The timing and occurrence of these events are compared between couples with different level of education and between couples born in or outside of Sweden. Comparisons are also made with respect to the couples’ age and age difference. Results show for example that although a majority of the couples have their first child as a cohabiting couple, eventually most couples do get married. The propensity to marry is higher for highly educated couples and for couples where one or both partners are born outside Sweden.