Cohabitation and Beyond: The Contribution of Each Partner’s Relationship Satisfaction and Fertility Aspirations to Pathways of Cohabiting Couples

Abstract

A great deal of research attention has been directed to understanding why marriages last or end in separation. Far less attention has been extended to cohabiting relationships, where couples live together without being registered as married. As in other developed countries, couple formation patterns in Australia have changed dramatically over the last few decades, with most “living-together” unions now beginning with cohabitation rather than marriage, and with an increasing proportion of babies now being born to cohabiting couples. This paper uses longitudinal data to track what happens to cohabiting relationships: whether the partners subsequently marry each other, separate or continue to cohabit over a two-year period. It then investigates the role of each partner’s relationship satisfaction and fertility aspirations in influencing the pathway taken.

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