Relationship quality and family formation in Europe
Relationship quality and family formation in Europe
The increase in cohabitation and nonmarital childbearing across Europe has raised questions about who still marries either before or after having a child. Although prior studies have addressed the sequence of marriage and childbearing, few have examined the role of relationship quality in these transitions. Here we employ a cross-national perspective to study the association between relationship quality and marriage and/or first birth within cohabitation. Using the Generations and Gender Survey and UK Household Longitudinal Study, we study seven European countries (Austria, France, Hungary, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and UK). We employ competing risk hazard models to follow respondents as they 1) transition from cohabitation into marriage or conception (or separation); 2) transition to marriage (or separation) after having a birth within cohabitation. Results show that cohabitors with higher relationship quality are more marriage prone than those in lower quality relationships in Austria, France, Hungary, and the UK, but not in the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. Instead, higher relationship quality is associated with higher conception risks in cohabitation in Sweden. After childbearing, we find a positive association between relationship quality and marriage among cohabiting parents in the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. These results suggest that marriage is still important for couples with higher quality relationships; however, in countries where cohabitation is widespread, the timing of marriage may have shifted to after childbearing.
Cohabitation, Conception, Marriage, Relationship quality, Separation
100527
Blom, Niels
86fa14cb-1402-453f-a01c-3c919925baae
Perelli-Harris, Brienna
9d3d6b25-d710-480b-8677-534d58ebe9ed
Wiik, Kenneth
f9decbb9-414f-4908-96d9-1c11376b1149
1 March 2023
Blom, Niels
86fa14cb-1402-453f-a01c-3c919925baae
Perelli-Harris, Brienna
9d3d6b25-d710-480b-8677-534d58ebe9ed
Wiik, Kenneth
f9decbb9-414f-4908-96d9-1c11376b1149
Blom, Niels, Perelli-Harris, Brienna and Wiik, Kenneth
(2023)
Relationship quality and family formation in Europe.
Advances in Life Course Research, 55, , [100527].
(doi:10.1016/j.alcr.2023.100527).
Abstract
The increase in cohabitation and nonmarital childbearing across Europe has raised questions about who still marries either before or after having a child. Although prior studies have addressed the sequence of marriage and childbearing, few have examined the role of relationship quality in these transitions. Here we employ a cross-national perspective to study the association between relationship quality and marriage and/or first birth within cohabitation. Using the Generations and Gender Survey and UK Household Longitudinal Study, we study seven European countries (Austria, France, Hungary, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and UK). We employ competing risk hazard models to follow respondents as they 1) transition from cohabitation into marriage or conception (or separation); 2) transition to marriage (or separation) after having a birth within cohabitation. Results show that cohabitors with higher relationship quality are more marriage prone than those in lower quality relationships in Austria, France, Hungary, and the UK, but not in the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. Instead, higher relationship quality is associated with higher conception risks in cohabitation in Sweden. After childbearing, we find a positive association between relationship quality and marriage among cohabiting parents in the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. These results suggest that marriage is still important for couples with higher quality relationships; however, in countries where cohabitation is widespread, the timing of marriage may have shifted to after childbearing.
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Accepted/In Press date: 15 January 2023
Published date: 1 March 2023
Additional Information:
Funding Information:
This project was funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Grant ES/R005907/1 and UK Economic and Social Research Grant ES/R009139/1 . Blom’s contribution has also received funding from the European Research Council ( ERC ) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement No 680958 . L. P. Cooke, PI). Wiik acknowledges support from the Research Council of Norway (projects no 262700 and 287634 ). Opinions expressed here reflect only the authors’ views; the Agency is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.
Funding Information:
This project was funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Grant ES/R005907/1 and UK Economic and Social Research Grant ES/R009139/1. Blom's contribution has also received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement No 680958. L. P. Cooke, PI). Wiik acknowledges support from the Research Council of Norway (projects no 262700 and 287634). Opinions expressed here reflect only the authors’ views; the Agency is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors
Keywords:
Cohabitation, Conception, Marriage, Relationship quality, Separation
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 450111
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/450111
ISSN: 1879-6974
PURE UUID: 8beebce4-de79-4b73-a6b2-eac828d08b04
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Date deposited: 09 Jul 2021 16:35
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 03:23
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Author:
Kenneth Wiik
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