What Is Driving Marriage and Cohabitation in Low Fertility Countries?

Abstract

In an earlier paper, I argued that “effective singlehood” in East Asia had run ahead of the West – if cohabitation was equated with marriage. In the decade since then, some interesting changes have taken place. In Europe, singlehood on the whole appears to have increased, even when those currently cohabiting are removed from the “single” category, but the trend is less clear when those who have ever cohabited are removed from the category. Though cohabitation has increased in Spain and Italy, these countries still have much higher proportions effectively single than do Scandinavia or Western Europe. Effective singlehood is increasing more sharply in some of the countries of East Asia than in Europe, tending to further widen the gap between the higher levels of effective singlehood in East Asian countries than those in Europe. The chapter goes on to examine the meanings of cohabitation across Europe, the limited evidence about trends in cohabitation in East Asia, and whether rising prevalence of singlehood by choice in East Asia and some European countries is evidence of the second demographic transition. The similarity in some aspects of family patterns between Southern European and East Asian countries are analysed in relation to high levels of effective singlehood in these countries. In an earlier paper, I argued that “effective singlehood” in East Asia had run ahead of the West – if cohabitation was equated with marriage. In the decade since then, some interesting changes have taken place. In Europe, singlehood on the whole appears to have increased, even when those currently cohabiting are removed from the “single” category, but the trend is less clear when those who have ever cohabited are removed from the category. Though cohabitation has increased in Spain and Italy, these countries still have much higher proportions effectively single than do Scandinavia or Western Europe. Effective singlehood is increasing more sharply in some of the countries of East Asia than in Europe, tending to further widen the gap between the higher levels of effective singlehood in East Asian countries than those in Europe. The chapter goes on to examine the meanings of cohabitation across Europe, the limited evidence about trends in cohabitation in East Asia, and whether rising prevalence of singlehood by choice in East Asia and some European countries is evidence of the second demographic transition. The similarity in some aspects of family patterns between Southern European and East Asian countries are analysed in relation to high levels of effective singlehood in these countries.