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Do partnerships last? Comparing marriage and cohabitation using longitudinal census data
1Office for National Statistics.
Population Trends
|April 10, 2010
Summary
Married partnerships show greater stability than cohabiting ones. In England and Wales, 82% of married adults remained with their partner, compared to 61% of cohabiting adults.
Area of Science:
- Sociology
- Demography
- Official Statistics
Background:
- Partnership stability is crucial for policy and statistical analysis.
- Understanding trends in marital and cohabiting relationships is essential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the stability of couple partnerships in England and Wales between 1991 and 2001.
- To compare the long-term stability of marriages versus cohabitations.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the Office for National Statistics Longitudinal Study.
- Analyzed a sample of adults from the 1991 Census who were in a partnership.
- Tracked partnership status in the 2001 Census.
Main Results:
- Married partnerships demonstrated higher stability (82% in 2001) compared to cohabiting partnerships (61% in 2001).
- Approximately two-thirds of cohabiting couples who stayed together by 2001 converted their relationship to marriage.
- Partnership stability varied based on individual and partner socio-demographic characteristics.
Conclusions:
- Marriage is a more stable partnership form than cohabitation in England and Wales.
- The transition from cohabitation to marriage is a common outcome for stable cohabiting unions.
- Socio-demographic factors significantly influence long-term partnership stability.
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