Cohabitation in Norway: an accepted and gradually more regulated way of living

Abstract

The modern form of cohabitation started later and developed more slowly in Norway than in the other Scandinavian countries. Now the differences between the Scandinavian countries are much smaller, and cohabitation is more common than in any other parts of Europe. The percentage of Norwegian women aged twenty to thirty-nine who are cohabiting is more than twice that in Great Britain. Several responses to the changing family behaviour have been adopted since the late 1960s, but major amendments in the laws and regulations were not put into force until the 1990s. Today, cohabiting couples who have children together or have lived together for minimum two years will have many of the same rights and obligations to social security, pensions and taxation as their married counterparts. As regards the economic relationships between cohabiting partners no intervention is still the main principle. The Norwegian family policy reflects a relatively smooth and pragmatic adaption to the changing nuptiality pattern, but there is no wish to erase totally the differences between cohabiting and married couples.

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