Chapter 5results. They are estimated in the same way as was described
in the case of unemployment in Chapter 4.
The results are striking. On average people who enter a
partnership go on enjoying it year after year— see Figure 5.2.
In Britain and Australia, there is virtually no habituation ei-
ther for men or women, though in Germany there appears
to be some. In every country there is of course a courtship
effect: people are becoming more cheerful as partnership
comes in sight.
At first glimpse these results are at odds with most ear-
lier published work on the effects of marriage.^2 But they
are not, because here we are focusing on the more relevant
variable, which is partnership, including cohabitation. If co-
habitation begins first and marriage follows later, all that
the earlier research has shown is that the additional mar-
riage premium soon fades. The benefit of the relationship
continues.
If relationships bring long- lasting benefits, separation
brings pain. Figure 5.3 covers all who were originally part-
nered but then became separated. It shows the effect of the
first separation up to the point when the person becomes
repartnered. As the figure shows, the pain is worse to start
with, but in no country is there a full return to the original
position.3,4
There is also some adaptation to losing a partner through
death, which earlier research has also shown. As Figure 5.4
shows bereavement is extremely painful, and though sub-
stantial recovery generally follows, it is rarely complete.5,6,7
But can the social setting help? It surely feels worse to
be on your own when everyone else like you is partnered.
We find some evidence of this, though it varies between