Currently cohabiting: Relationship attitudes and intentions Dr Ernestina Coast

Cohabitation  Fuzzy  Timing  Heterogeneous  Post-marriage (pre- and post-divorce)  Pre-marriage  Post widowhood  Evolving

 Good large-scale descriptive data on incidence and trends  Representative attitudinal surveys  Empirical gap: cohabitees  emerging qualitative research  survey data relationship intentions and attitudes  longitudinal data – collected while subjective state exists  systematic empirical investigation of social change

British Household Panel Survey (BHPS)  Annual since 1991  Approx. 5,000 households  Full interview with new partners

1991: Wave 11992: Wave 2 Full marriage & cohabitation history Annual status updates 1998: Wave 8 Relationship questions Annual status updates 2003: Wave 13 Relationship questions repeat Annual status updates 2006 Wave 16

? Cohabitation converted to marriage? Cohabitation persisted? Cohabitation ceased? Child born? Relationship: attitudes intentions 1998 Couples = Couples = 333

Analysis  Wave 13 (2003)  Treat as cross-sectional  Never-married aged under 35  Individuals and linked couples

Questions  “We are interested in why you and your partner have chosen to live together rather than being married. Do you think there are any advantages in living as a couple, rather than being married?” If “Yes”  “What do you think are the advantages of living as a couple?”

Questions  “Do you think there are any disadvantages in living as a couple, rather than being married?” If “Yes”  “What do you think are the disadvantages of living as a couple?”

Interview influence  BHPS reports presence of others during interview  Analysis shows no significant effect of other’s presence on responses.

Cohabitation an advantage over marriage  Men32%  Women 35%  Parent28%  Childless37%  Sig p<0.05 for both men and women  Majority no positive advantage

Why an advantage? ParentChildless MenWomenMenWomen Trial marriage No legal ties Personal independe nce Financial advantage Other

Cohabitation a disadvantage over marriage  Men18%  Women 22%  Parent22%  Childless20%  Majority no definite disadvantage

Why a disadvantage? ParentChildless MenWomenMenWomen Financial insecurity No legal status Effect on children Lack of commitme nt Social stigma

Comparing couples Man Woman AdvantageNo advantage Advantage1815 No advantage2245

Comparing couples Man Woman DisadvantageNo disadvantage Disadvantage610 No disadvantage 1767

Question: Future intentions  “Obviously you cannot say for certain what will happen, but could you please look at this card and read out the number of the statement which you feel applies most closely to your current relationship?

Showcard  1Planning to marry  2Probably get married at some point  3Probably just keep living together without marrying  4Have not really thought about the future  5Other (specify)  6Don’t know

Marriage expectations MenWomen Planning to/ probably will marry 7173 Continue to live together 1718 DK/ No thought to future / Other 129

Marriage expectations: couples Women Men Planning to/ will marry CohabitDK/No thought to future Planning to/ will marry 6093 Cohabit5105 DK/ No thought to future 422

Marriage expectations: women MotherChildless Planning to/ probably will marry 6073 Continue to live together 2916 DK/ No thought to future / Other 11

Supplementary Question  “Even though you have no plans to marry at the moment, can you please look at this card and tell me how likely it is that you will ever get married to anyone in the future?”

Showcard  1Very likely  2Likely  3Unlikely  4Very unlikely  5Don’t know

Marriage expectations: women MotherChildless Very likely08 Likely2633 Unlikely4833 Very unlikely2215 Do not know411

Interrogating the questions  Grounded in reality  Take account of circumstances rather than an expression of abstract desire  Supplementary question on marriage expectation moves from current relationship to any future hypothetical relationship

Interrogating the answers  Intentions uncertain and subject to change  Question understanding  Companionship response  Childless mention children

 Cohabitation  Which couples achieve their relationship intentions?  How persistent are relationship intentions?  Non-resident partnerships Future directions