Nonmarital Cohabitation Research Articles

Actions for solutions: Financial behaviors, power (im)balance, and economic abuse among Chinese young adults in non-marital cohabitation

Young adults are at high risk of experiencing economic abuse—a form of intimate partner violence (IPV)—and Chinese young adults in non-marital cohabitation are especially vulnerable. To reduce economic abuse, an important question to answer is: What factors are associated with economic abuse? After controlling for constructs (e.g., demographic information and other types of IPV) that were linked to economic abuse, we investigated how financial behaviors (i.e., individuals’ money management capability) were associated with power (im)balance (i.e., whether individuals shared equal influence with the romantic partner) and, in turn, economic abuse among non-marital cohabitating Chinese young adults. We also investigated whether associations among financial behaviors, power (im)balance, and economic abuse varied across young adults’ gender and SES. We used a Qualtrics survey to collect data from 445 non-marital cohabitating Chinese young adults (53.3% male vs. 46.7% female; 22.7% lower socioeconomic status [SES] vs. 77.3% higher-SES). A structural equation model was conducted to test the associations of research interests. We found that money management capability (e.g., spending within budget and tracking expenses) is associated with balanced power—the individual sharing equal influence with the partner in the decision-making process—and, in turn, less experience of being economically abused. These associations were statistically equivalent across gender and SES. Collectively, our findings suggested that promoting money management capability be a timely and new avenue for reducing economic abuse among Chinese young adults in non-marital cohabitation, possibly because this population faces common and severe economic abuse but generally lacks the opportunity to learn money management.

Mind Control and Abused-Related Suicide: The Criminal Justice Response to Intimate Partner Violence Against Women in China

Mind control is a new form of intimate partner violence. It involves the abuser verbally humiliating and intimidating his or her partner in order to increase his or her emotional dependence. The consequences are self-doubt or self-denial on the part of the abused person, fear of resisting the abuser, or even self-mutilation or suicide at the abuser's instigation. Recently, a Chinese court ruled in a case where mind control led to the suicide of his girlfriend, sentencing the defendant, Mu Linhan, to three years and two months in prison for abuse. This case brings the form of violence known as mind control officially into the public view. In this case, the court made a breakthrough in determining that a non-marital cohabitation relationship establishes a family member relationship, and recognized the causality of mind control on suicide. In recent years, China has effectively contributed to the protection of women's rights and interests through the Anti-Domestic Violence Law and criminal law. However, shortcomings in the law limit the ability of rules to combat domestic violence. China should introduce additional criminal law provisions on new forms of domestic violence and improve the scope of criminal law regulation of domestic violence offences.

浅析老年非婚同居中的财产权益保护

浅析老年非婚同居中的财产权益保护

Fertility and nuptiality changes in Central and Eastern Europe: 1982-1993

Central and east European countries are in the midst of a major demographic change, that for the most part appears to have been brought about by the on-going political, economic and social transformation of these countries. The strength of the change varies considerably across the counties, quite likely as a consequence of the variations in the depth and breadth of the transformation and the attitude of the people towards it. It appears that, at least, a few years will elapse before the demographers studying these countries will be able to draw a relatively comprehensive picture of the demographic developments in these countries since the turn of the 1980s. This paper seeks to contribute to this picture by documenting changes over time in fertility and first marriage in more than half of the transition countries, which appear to have been associated with the transformation under way. The analysis focuses on the time patterns in the levels and timing of overall fertility and first marriage among women during 1982-1993. It does not seek to explain how the various aspects of the transformation might have influenced those patterns; this would require a separate analysis. Having included in the analysis several years prior to the onset of the transformation, we seek to answer the following questions: What were the nature, timing and magnitude of the changes in overall fertility and first marriage, which are respectively measured by the period total fertility rate and the period total first marriage rate? Were the changes in first marriage accompanied by those in non-marital cohabitation? Although interesting in its own right, this question is addressed as a side issue due to data limitations, by looking at the proportions of extramarital births. And lastly, were the shifts in overall fertility and first marriage accompanied by those in their timing, as measured by the mean age of childbearing and the mean age at entry into first marriage, respectively? The analysis is cast within a broader European context by making comparisons between the countries with economies in transition and selected European countries with market economies.

The transition from cohabitation to marriage in Spain: differences and determinants in same-sex and different-sex couples

Same-sex households and non-heterosexual people’s living arrangements are an expanding area of research in family studies. This contribution focuses on the transition from cohabitation to marriage of same-sex couples in comparison to different-sex couples in Spain, i.e., one of the pioneer countries of same-sex marriage that was legalized in 2005. In this particular context, we investigate to what extent same-sex couples and different-sex couples present similar marriage risks. Employing Event History Analysis and using data from the 2018 Spanish Fertility Survey, we find that, overall, same-sex couples have a significantly lower hazard of transitioning from non-marital cohabitation to marriage than different-sex couples. When restricting the sample to currently co-residing couples, the difference in the hazard of marriage between the two couple types remains negative but becomes insignificant. We thus disprove that same-sex couples have a higher incentive for marriage. These results are discussed in light of the different composition of same-sex vs different-sex couples in terms of their socio-demographic profile and motivations for marriage.

Cohabitation: Conceptual Significance and Practical Inconsistency

Non-marital cohabitation is a rapidly rising universal phenomenon in this modern era. The post-modern or capitalist society, the concepts of relationships between man and woman particularly the way of thinking towards cohabitation or living relationship has seen a drastic change. The issue of cohabitation from a sociological perspective to comprehend the nature of such a shifting structure of marriage. In this context, to know the rise in rates of cohabitation and its different meanings and implications in related to the way of life in terms of personal and social relationships and consequences. It is more rational to rethink in these types of meanings and implications particularly in marriage systems. There is different social meaning and cultural significance between traditional marriage system and newly emerged cohabitation practice. This paper tries to analyze the conceptual debate and practical contradiction of cohabitation and conventional marriage system. Likewise, this study provides an analysis of causes and consequences of cohabitation in existing societies.

Research on Legal Issues of Women’s Rights and Interests Protection in Non-marital Cohabitation

Research on Legal Issues of Women’s Rights and Interests Protection in Non-marital Cohabitation

Reflections on the Sinicization of the French Civil Mutual Aid Contract PACS System

The French PACS system has been implemented for more than 20 years to protect the rights of non-marital partners. The phenomenon of non-marital cohabitation is becoming a social reality in China. Non-marital cohabitation will lead to issues related to the identity of the parties, division of property, and child support. Therefore, in line with the main purpose of facing social reality, protecting the rights of non-marital cohabiting partners, and stabilizing social life, China should include non-marital cohabitation in the scope of family law adjustment. Because there is no relevant legislation on the protection of the rights and interests of cohabiting partners in China before this, this article starts from three perspectives: the development history of the French PACS system, the possibility of the Sinicization of the PACS system, and the significance of the Sinicized PACS system to the development of Chinese society. By discussing the similarities and differences between China and France on the conclusion procedure, property distribution, and dispute resolution in the cohabitation relationship, the proposal of the Chinese PACS system is proposed.

Migration, Marriage, and Cohabitation among Hispanic Immigrant Women in the United States.

Prior research shows links between the timing of migration and family formation, particularly childbearing, among Hispanic immigrants in the United States, with implications for women's socioeconomic well-being. However, temporal connections between migration and union formation, particularly non-marital cohabiting unions, remain underexplored. As cohabiting unions have long coexisted with marriage in parts of Latin America, this omission may be particularly misrepresentative of the family formation strategies of Hispanic immigrants. Drawing on data from the National Survey of Family Growth (2011-2017), I examined the association between the timing of migration and entry into first marital or non-marital (cohabiting) union, treating marriage and cohabitation as competing events for first union type. Among women whose first union was non-marital, I also examined the relationship between migration and the likelihood of transitioning out of the non-marital union, either through marriage or union dissolution. Results showed that marriage formation was high the year of migration, and increased again only after 6 years post-migration, whereas cohabitation was high the year of migration and continued to increase with each period following migration. Furthermore, non-marital unions formed prior to migration were likely to transition to marriage or dissolve, while those formed after migration were likely to remain non-marital. These findings point to distinctions in the types of partnerships formed before and after migration and to the salience of non-marital unions for women who migrate unpartnered, demonstrating the need for further research on the socioeconomic integration and well-being of unmarried or cohabiting immigrant women, and the dynamic connections between migration, gender, and family.

The second demographic transition in Japan: a review of the evidence

Despite a half century of below-replacement fertility, Japan is typically not included in discussions and evaluations of the second demographic transition (SDT), a widely referenced framework for understanding family changes and attitudinal shifts associated with very low fertility. I address this limitation by drawing upon a range of published research and data sources to provide an empirical basis for thinking about how the Japanese experience does or does not conform to the general patterns of behavioral and attitudinal change associated with the SDT in the West. From this evidence, it seems clear that the prototypical pattern of family change in Northern and Western Europe has only partially emerged in Japan. The same is true of attitudes, particularly those related to gender. Consistent with depictions of the SDT in Europe, Japan has experienced substantial delays in marriage and childbearing along with notable increases in non-marital cohabitation and divorce. However, non-marital childbearing has remained at negligibly low levels and cohabiting unions have not emerged as an alternative to marriage. Attitudinal data show that endorsement of conventional family patterns and gender roles has declined, but remains at higher levels than in most SDT countries. Taken as a whole, these data describe a distinctive path to very low fertility in which universal forces of social and family change interact with strong normative expectations of two-parent families characterized by a clear gender division of labor.

Pooling of Wealth in Marriage: The Role of Premarital Cohabitation

Previous studies documented the existence of a ‘cohabitation–marriage gap’ in resource pooling among opposite-sex partners, with cohabiters being more likely to separate income and wealth than married individuals. Surprisingly, despite many non-marital cohabitations transform into marriages, we know little about income and wealth pooling of ‘spousal cohabiters’, i.e. spouses who transition to marriage after experiencing a period of non-marital cohabitation. The comparison between ‘spousal cohabiters’ and directly married spouses is particularly interesting because it offers a litmus test of theories of marriage in relation to how and why economic resources are differently distributed within married vs. cohabiting couples. This paper compares directly married couples and ‘spousal cohabiters’ in Italy, focusing on one aspect of resource pooling: the marital property regime, i.e. the choice made at the time of marriage between joint or separate ownership of wealth accumulated during marriage. Competing hypotheses are developed on the basis of the arguments that marriage yields legal protection, that selection mechanisms drive both the choice of community vs. separation of property and direct marriage vs. premarital cohabitation, and that, by inertia, ‘spousal cohabiters’ continue to separate resources upon transition to marriage. Results based on the 2016 Italian ‘Family and social subjects’ survey show that ‘spousal cohabiters’ are significantly more likely to choose separation of property compared to directly married spouses. Such differences, however, are drastically reduced once relevant confounders are controlled for, hence suggesting that existing differences between directly married and previously cohabiting couples and, more generally, differences between married and cohabiting couples are driven, above all, by selection mechanisms.

The Changing Socioeconomic Gradient of First Union Formation Across Generations in Spain

This paper addresses the relationship between socioeconomic conditions and first union formation in Spain by analyzing the influence of educational attainment and employment history on the transition to non-marital cohabitation and direct marriage, highlighting inter-generational and gender-specific trends over time. To this end, this contribution approaches a longitudinal gender perspective which applies an event-history-analysis competing-risk setting to data of the last available Fertility Survey (FS) conducted by the Spanish National Institute of Statistics in 2018. Results show that, among women, the positive educational gradient of first cohabitation reversed, while the negative educational gradient for marriage intensified across generations. Regarding the economic gradient remained stable across generations for marriage entries and is still central for entering cohabitation, even if is less relevant for women in the youngest birth cohorts. For men, the influence of having achieved tertiary education lose its strength over time with each successive generation, while the effect of employment history on both cohabitation and marriage has diminished for successive birth cohorts.

Cohabitation, Relationship Stability, Relationship Adjustment, and Children's Mental Health Over 10 Years.

Understanding risk factors for relationship dissolution and poor relationship adjustment among couples has been an active area of research in relationship science. One risk factor, non-marital cohabitation, has shown to predict higher rates of relationship dissolution and relationship instability in some samples, but the associations among German parents with children over time are less clear. In this study, we examined the links between non-marital cohabitation and 10-year outcomes (relationship dissolution, relationship adjustment over time, and child internalizing and externalizing symptoms) in 220 German families with preschool-aged children at the initial assessment followed into adolescence. Families were assessed 7 times over the 10 years and retention at the 10-year follow-up was over 92%. After accounting for multiple testing, only mother’s report of better initial interparental communication predicted whether parents were likely to stay together over the course of the 10 years. Adolescents of parents who cohabited were at higher risk for externalizing symptoms 10 years later compared to children of married parents. In addition, although there were no differences between cohabiting couples and married couples at the initial assessment in relationship adjustment, cohabiting mothers who stayed with their partner over the 10 years showed significantly greater declines in relationship adjustment over the 10 years compared to married mothers. Findings indicate the need for further research that explores family structure and dynamics over time to inform refinement of prevention programs targeting relationships and children’s mental health.

Three Different Legal Attitudes Towards Non-Marital Cohabitation in Europe

The rising number of people “just living together”, people who are neither married nor in registered partnerships, clearly demonstrates that non-marital unions can no longer be ignored. To obtain an accurate picture of the situation of non-marital partners it was essential to conduct comparative research of multiple legal orders. This analysis threw a new light (at least from the Polish standpoint) on possible solutions to the problem of the regulation of legal aspects of “living together”. It appears that three different legal attitudes towards non-marital cohabitation may be distinguished in Europe. Firstly, there are legal orders in which by virtue of an explicit reference by the legislator – the regulations on marriage are applied to cohabitation (quasi-marriage cohabitation). Secondly, there also exist countries in which a law was adopted regulating selected aspects of actual cohabitation (implied model of cohabitation). And thirdly, there are legal orders in which any cohabitant-oriented legal regime exists.

Exploring the Diverse Family Structures in South Korea: Experiences and Perspectives of Nonmartial Cohabitants

Historically, South Korean society has been deeply influenced by Confucianism, which has an emphasis on the traditional family structure. If a given family does not belong in the “traditional” norm, which is composed of husband, wife, and children, they are often discriminated against and ostracized. Despite the increasing number of nonmarital cohabiters in South Korea, research is still insufficient to understand the phenomenon. This study explores the prevalence of nonmarital cohabitation in South Korea, which is still met with discrimination. Online surveys and in-depth interviews were conducted with cohabiters to gain an understanding of the phenomenon and to explore their marriage and family values. The findings of this study indicate that cohabiters who chose cohabitation as an alternative to marriage had more progressive values. Findings from the study provide implications for practice and policy.

Through ‘thick and thin’ as long as it is healthy: shared meanings of commitment in long-term couple relationships, whether married or not

ABSTRACT Social theorists have suggested relationship practice changes such as rising rates of nonmarital cohabitation imply external anchors are lifting with relations become increasingly individualized and fragile. These suppositions are in part based on theories of commitment which have taken conventional characteristics of marriage as a blueprint from which to compare. Reporting findings from an in-depth qualitative study in England, in this paper, what it means to be committed and how commitment is displayed within 10 long-term (15 plus years) couple relationships across forms (same-sex, opposite-sex, married, civil partnership, cohabitant) is explored. The findings challenge conventional signifiers by which cohabitants are deemed less committed than married couples. In line with the individualization thesis, couples described an importance attached to autonomy and equality. Instead of public promises for a lifetime together, sexual intimacy and financial interdependence, couples displayed commitment through mutual reciprocity. However, these' individualized' relationships were not sustained only to the extent of personal satisfaction. Moral consistency values to stick together through adversity, unless the relationship became unhealthy, signified what it meant to be committed; whether the relationship was formalized or not. Further research is needed to develop theories of commitment which better reflect the diversity of contemporary relationship practices.

Ever-Single Heterosexual Couples in Nonmarital Cohabitation: Spirituality, Connectedness, and Adjustment

This article reports a study on the effectiveness of WhatsApp-based spiritual posts in promoting connectedness and adjustment among ever-single heterosexual couples in nonmarital cohabitation in four global cities. In comparison with trivia posts, the spiritual posts had greater impact and were more effective for Christian couples, middle class, highly qualified, and professionals-salaried cohabitants. This was in comparison with Hindu–Buddhist–Sikh dyads, upper class, with college degree, and entrepreneurs. However, cohabitation duration, initial cohabitation experience with other partners, having children/cohabitation dependents, and near future marriage plans were not significant predictors. Gender also did not significantly moderate spiritual intervention responses as proposed in the previous research. Couple intervention outcomes were mutually interdependent and intervention compliance in terms of number of posts read and do-it-yourself exercises posted were robust predictors of intervention success. With some subgroup-specific refinements, WhatsApp-based spiritual posts would be an effective spiritually sensitive social work intervention for improving relationship quality of nonmarital cohabitants.

Marriage and Partnership in Serbian Family Law

In this paper the author analyses the family law consequences of family law unions in Serbia. Two types of family law unions are regulated: marriage and heterosexual non-marital cohabitation. Same-sex union is not regulated at present, but the draft law is under preparation. The author analyses consequences of: personal relations, property relations, nuptial contract, family home, maintenance and exercise of parental rights.

The spatial diffusion of nonmarital cohabitation in Belgium over 25 years: Geographic proximity and urban hierarchy

Previous studies have shown that nonmarital cohabitation is socially diffused. However, to our knowledge, no studies exist on spatial aspects of the diffusion. This article examines the spatial diffusion process of nonmarital cohabitation in Belgium.

Demographic change and increasing late singlehood in East Asia, 2010–2050

Background: Marriage is a central institution for social reproduction in East Asia. Until the 1970s and 1980s, marriage across much of East Asia was early and universal. In recent decades, though, this pattern has begun shifting to one of later and less marriage. Objective: We explore the long-term implications for universal marriage patterns of future demographic change in marriage markets in the context of prevailing marriage norms by projecting trends in late singlehood (ages 45 to 49) in four East Asian societies (China, South Korea, Taiwan, and Japan). Methods: We estimate forces of attraction to characterize marriage matching norms by age and education across these different societies by drawing on large-scale population data. Next, we develop counterfactual scenarios in which we apply contemporary norms to future population structures in these societies, as well as scenarios based on more gender-symmetrical matching norms to examine how populations who have never been married by ages 45 to 49 would evolve. Results: Our projections indicate that in the coming decades there will be a substantial increase in late singlehood across all these societies relative to their 2010 levels. These increases in singlehood are driven by forthcoming demographic changes in the marriage market that intensify the effects of prevailing matching norms. These increases are notable in Taiwan and South Korea, where recent data indicate generalized weak propensities to marry in current norms. While a shift toward greater gender symmetry in matching norms would reverse gender gaps between men and women in nonmarriage, it would have little impact on the overall projected proportions of singles by ages 45 to 49. Conclusions: If prevailing norms in each of these contexts continue, the universality of marriage will be substantially eroded in the coming decades, even if norms become more gender symmetrical. The extent to which nonmarital cohabitation and childbearing emerge in the future will determine how marriage will influence fertility trends, population growth, aging, and social reproduction. Contribution: For the first time, we project the implications for universal marriage of recent shifts in marriage norms and demographic change in East Asian countries.