From marriage to informal union: recent changes in the behaviour of French couples

The author uses data from the 1986 Family History Survey conducted in France to examine patterns of entry into marriage and the range of informal unions that exist. "Since unmarried cohabitation is only recent for first unions, we shall confine our analysis to first unions and, for homogeneity, to those begun before the 30th birthday." She examines the effects of occupational status and social background on marriage decisions.