The Psychology of Gender 4th Edition

336 Chapter 9

The highest rates of cohabitation are in

Scandinavia. In Scandinavia, marriage and

cohabitation are almost indistinguishable.

The rate of cohabitation is high, the duration

is long, and the incidence of having children is

high. In France, cohabitation is considered an

“alternative to marriage” because of the high

rates of cohabitation, the long duration of

cohabitation, and the relative low likelihood

of getting married even if children are born.

The United States is quite variable in terms

of its pattern of cohabitation. It is described

as an “alternative to being single” because the

rate is moderate, the duration relatively short,

the proportion ending in marriage moderate,

and the incidence of children relatively low.

Cohabitation is construed as a “stage in the

marriage process” for a number of countries,

of which Austria is a good example. Here the

rates of cohabitation are moderate, the dura-

tion relatively short, the proportion ending in

marriage high, and the likelihood of having

children while cohabiting low. For Belgium,

cohabitation was viewed as a “prelude to

marriage” as the frequency of cohabitation is

relatively low, the duration is relatively short

and the proportion ending in marriage high.

Cohabitation played a “marginal role” in

to cohabit before they marry (Manning et al.,

2007). The most frequent reason for cohabita-

tion is to spend time together, but people also

cohabit as a matter of convenience and as a

way to test their relationship before marriage

(Rhoades, Stanley, & Markman, 2009).

There are a number of factors that

have given rise to the increase in cohabita-

tion, including the sexual revolution of the

1960s, the women’s movement, the increase

in women’s education, the delay in marriage

and childbearing, and the increase in the ac-

ceptability of premarital sex (Popenoe, 2008).

Women may associate marriage with tra-

ditional gender roles and view a cohabiting

relationship as an egalitarian alternative. In

addition, the increase in the divorce rate has

made people more leery about the stability of

marriage. With the increase in cohabitation,

the rate of divorce leveled off and has slowly

declined in the past 20 years. However, the

divorce rate does not take into account the

breakup of cohabiting relationships, and an

increasing number of those involve children.

Several conceptualizations of cohabita-

tion have been identified across Europe, New

Zealand, and the United States, as shown in

Table 9.7 (Heuveline & Timberlake, 2004).

TABLE 9.7 PATTERNS OF COHABITATION

Example

Country

Rate Duration End in

Marriage

Incidence of

Children

Indistinguishable

from marriage

Sweden High Long High High

Alternative to

marriage

France High Long Low Low

Alternative to single United States Moderate Short Moderate Low

Stage in marriage Austria Moderate Short High Low

Prelude to marriage Belgium Relatively

Low

Short High Very Low

Marginal Italy Lowest

Source: Adapted Heuveline and Timerlake (2004).

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