FAMILYindex - Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage

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Fathers, Marriage and the Law
This paper discusses married and unmarried fathers' attitudes towards marriage, cohabiting, and parenting, and also discusses their knowledge of the law as it pertains to the legal responsibilities of fatherhood.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• The Joseph Rowntree Foundation • September 1999

Cohabitation, Separation, and Fatherhood
This paper investigates the roles of cohabiting fathers, the level of father involvement after a separation between a cohabiting couple, and popular views on cohabitation and marriage.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• The Joseph Rowntree Foundation • May 01, 2002

Cohabiting Parents' Experience of Relationships and Separation
This paper studies the cohabiting relationship, why people choose to cohabit, cohabiters' views on marriage, and the legal and parenting challenges cohabiting couples face after separation.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• The Joseph Rowntree Foundation • April 01, 2000

The Living Arrangements of New Unmarried Mothers
This paper investigates the living arrangements of unwed mothers, and examines the factors that influence their decisions in this regard.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Center for Research on Child Wellbeing • May 01, 2002

Are Cohabiting Relationships More Violent Than Marriages?
Using data from the National Survey of Families and Households (1987-88 and 1992-93) this paper studies and compares the level of domestic violence ...
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Center for Research on Child Wellbeing • June 01, 2001

Encouraging Marriage and Discouraging Divorce
This paper describes initiatives, both government-based and private/religious, aimed at reducing divorce and encouraging strong marriages.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• The Heritage Foundation • March 26, 2001

How Broken Families Rob Children of Their Chances for Future Prosperity
This paper discusses the economic benefits of marriage and the impact of family composition on children.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• The Heritage Foundation • June 11, 1999

Making fathers “count”
The study examines the evolving role of Canadian fathers against a backdrop of economic, social and marital changes.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Statistics Canada • June 8, 2011

Marriage and Economic Well Being: The Economy of the Family Rises or Falls with Marriage
The study ties the continuance of marriage to improved economic circumstances including more wealth and less poverty for families, children, and society.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Family Research Council • May 2011

Family Structure and the Economic Mobility of Children
This report looks at the economic ability of adults to surpass the earnings of their parents.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Economic Mobility Project, Pew Charitable Trust • April 2010

The Value of Family: Fiscal Benefits of Marriage and Reducing Family Breakdown in New Zealand
This report examines the private and social costs of divorce and family breakdown in New Zealand.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• NZIER, Family First New Zealand • 2008

A Closer Look at Changes in Children’s Living Arrangements in Low-Income Families
This paper examines changes in the living arrangements of American children between 1999 and 2001, and discusses the stability of various family structures and their impact on child well-being.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Johns Hopkins University • February 20, 2000

'Repartnering': Living with a New Partner after Breaking Up
This paper investigates the rate of separation among cohabiting couples and looks at how many individuals who experience a separation live alone versus forming another union after some time.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Statistics Netherlands, Statistical Analysis Department, Demography Unit • June 07, 2001

Economic Circumstances and Union Dissolution of Couples in the 1990s in the Netherlands
This paper examines the role of personal income and socioeconomic status on the breakdown of recently formed marital and non-martial unions in the Netherlands.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Statistics Netherlands • 16 March 2004

Instability in Fragile Families: The Role of Race-Ethnicity, Economics, and Relationship Quality
This study compares the prevalence of separation among married and cohabiting parents of young children, with attention paid to racial and economic differences in relationship stability.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Center for Research on Child Wellbeing • August 14-17, 2004

Cohabitors’ Prerequisites for Marriage: Individual, Relationship, and Sociocultural Influences
This paper examines subjective relational dynamics in a cohabitation arrangement.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Center for Family and Demographic Research • 2004

“Everything’s There Except Money”: How Economic Factors Shape the Decision to Marry Among Cohabiting Couples
This paper examines cohabitors' perception of the relationship between financial stability and marriage.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Center for Family and Demographic Research • 2004

The Significance of Nonmarital Cohabitation: Marital Status and Mental Health Benefits among Middle-Aged and Older Adults
This paper examines the psychological well-being of older adults who are either married or cohabiting.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Center for Family and Demographic Research • November 19-22, 2003

Union Type and Adult Self-Esteem
This paper demonstrates that cohabitors have significantly lower levels of self-esteem than married individuals.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Center for Family and Demographic Research • 2002

Union Formation Among Men in the U.S.: Does Having Prior Children Matter?
This paper looks at the relationship between parenthood status and men's union formation in the US.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Center for Family Demographic Research • 2002

Childbearing in Cohabiting Unions: Racial and Ethnic Differences
This paper examines fertility patterns in cohabiting unions and investigates racial differences in attitudes concerning the acceptability of cohabitation.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Center for Family and Demographic Research • 2000

Family Structure Measurement: Reconciling Adolescent and Mother Reports of Cohabiting Stepfamilies
This paper discusses the difficulties encountered when attempting to measure the prevalence and effects of cohabitation.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Center for Family and Demographic Research • 2004

Born Again Adults Less Likely to Co-Habit, Just as Likely to Divorce
This article provides the results of a survey which examined the cohabitation, marriage, and divorce rates of born again and evangelical Christians.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• The Barna Group • August 06, 2001

Effect of Family Structure on Life Satisfaction: Australian Evidence
This paper provides evidence that a committed, stable, and enduring marriage relationship greatly increases men and women's life satisfaction and happiness.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research • September 2004

Should We Live Together? What Young Adults Need to Know about Cohabitation before Marriage
This article examines the characteristics of cohabiting couples and the harm caused to children by cohabitation.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• National Marriage Project • 2002

Why Men Won't Commit: Exploring Young Men's Attitudes About Sex, Dating, and Marriage
This study of young, unmarried men found that many are reluctant to marry due to the increasing acceptability of cohabitation which has been an important contributor to this increasing trend.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• The National Marriage Project • 2002

The State of Our Unions: The Social Health of Marriage in America
This paper addresses the state of marriage in America and how it has been affected by changing attitudes towards divorce, cohabitation, gender differences, financial stability, childbearing, and sex.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey • June 01, 2002

Why Wed? Young Adults Talk About Sex, Love, and First Unions
This report looks at the results of a focus group study on attitudes towards marriage, cohabitation, and the related issues of gender roles, individual autonomy, premarital sex, and financial stabilty.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey • 1999

Ten Important Research Findings on Marriage and Choosing a Marriage Partner: Helpful Facts for Young Adults
This article provides a list of ten helpful research facts young adults should know about marriage as they choose a partner.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• The National Marriage Project • November 2004

Sex Without Strings, Relationships without Rings: Today's Young Singles Talk About Mating and Dating
This study found that, although most young people hope and expect to enter into a lasting marriage, in reality their dating culture does not lay the foundations for this.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• The National Marriage Project • 2000

Cohabitation, Marriage and Child Wellbeing: A Cross-National Perspective
The author examines empirical data to chart the rapid rise of cohabitation across Western nations.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• The National Marriage Project, Rutgers • 2008

The Spread of Single-Parent Families in the United States since 1960
This paper discusses the growth in the number of single-parent families in the United States since the 1960s, and highlights the implications of this for child development, economics, and the moral fabric of society.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government • February 2004 (Revised June 2004)

The Effect of Welfare and Child Support Policies on Union Formation
This paper investigates the effect that changing child support enforcement and welfare benefit eligibility policies have on family formation.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Center for Research on Child Wellbeing • June 2002/October 2003

Union Formation and Depression: Selection and Relationship Effects
This paper examines possible explanations for the finding that married individuals have significantly lower rates of depression than cohabiting individuals.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Center for Family and Demographic Research • 2002

Marriage Decline in America
This paper reports on the declining rates of marriage in America and emphasizes the negative impact this has on children.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• The National Marriage Project • May 22, 2001

Social Backgrounds and Post-Birth Experiences of Young Parents
This paper examines the social, economic and educational backgrounds of adolescents who become parents, as well as their experiences of parenthood, marriage, and cohabitation later in life.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• The Joseph Rowntree Foundation • July 01, 1995

Canadian Attitudes on the Family
This survey asked a broad range of questions dealing with all aspects of the attitudes of Canadians toward marital and family satisfaction, work/family balance, taxation, family size, the impacts of cohabitation, divorce, same-sex marriage, parenting and the impact of children on marital satisfaction, and the significance of religion.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Focus on the Family (Canada) • June 01, 2002

Breakthrough Britain: Family Breakdown
This first volume of Breakthrough Britain examines the situation in Britain with respect to family breakdown then offers a broad range of policy proposals through which governments can encourage stronger family bonds.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Centre for Social Justice • July 2007

Marital and Nonmarital Union Separation In Canada
This paper examines trends of marital and nonmarital separation in Canada including how employment outside the home, school enrollment, pregnancy, children and age may influence changes in union life.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• XXIV General Population Conference of the International Union for Scientific Study of Population - Aug. 18 - 24, 2001 • 2003

The Family Law Review
This continuation of the Breakthrough Britain series examines family law in the interest of encouraging a high-commitment culture to marriage and family.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Centre for Social Justice • November 2008

Relationship Quality Dynamics of Cohabiting Unions
This paper examines the stability, duration and quality of cohabiting relationships and it evaluates whether the presence of children or the experience of a prior union affect the duration of such relationships.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Center for Family and Demographic Research • 2000

Abstract
This paper investigates the stability of cohabiting versus married relationships, and finds that premarital cohabitation increases marital instability as well as the risk of separation and divorce.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Australian Institute of Family Studies • March 13, 2003

The Relative Stability of Cohabiting and Marital Unions for Children
This paper demonstrates that, regardless of ethnicity, children in cohabiting unions experience greater instability than children born into married families.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Center for Family and Demographic Research • 2004

Parental Cohabitation Experience and Adolescent Behavioral Outcomes
This paper examines the effects of parental cohabitation on the behavioural outcomes of adolescent girls.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Center for Family and Demographic Research • January 2003

Does Marriage Improve a Cohabiting Relationship?
This paper explores the impact of marriage on cohabiting relationships and finds that, overall, marriage is beneficial for cohabiting couples.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Center for Family and Demographic Research • 2001

Report on the Evolution of the Family in Europe 2008
This report examines the relationship between economic, social and cultural trends on the family in Europe.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Institute for Family Policies • May 2008

Census Snapshot of Canada – Families
This brief report summarizes the 2006 Canadian census data on families, concluding that married parent families represent the majority of Canadian families.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Statistics Canada • Fall 2007

Family Formation Trends and Analysis U.S. Overview 2007: Children
This report examines family trends in the United States with regard to children.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Focus on the Family • 2007

Family Portrait: Continuity and Change in Canadian Families and Households in 2006, 2006 Census
This report based on data from the 2006 census examines family structure including marital status, household and living arrangements across Canada.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Statistics Canada • September 2007

Family Structure by Region 2006
This paper provides data tables from the General Social Survey comparing family structure by region between 2001 and 2006.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Statistics Canada • June 2007

Generation Gap in Values, Behaviors: As Marriage and Parenthood Drift Apart, Public Is Concerned About Social Impact
This national survey by the Pew Research Centre assesses American's attitudes and behaviours in regards to childbearing and family life.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Pew Research Center • July 1, 2007

Bringing Up Baby: Adoption, Marriage, and the Best Interests of the Child
This study argues that children waiting for adoption should be placed with married parents whenever possible.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Marshall-Wythe School of Law, Williamsburg Virginia • February 2006

The Relationahip Context of Births Outside of Marriage: The Rise in Cohabitation
This research brief reports that 37 percent of births in the United States occurred outside of marriage in 2005.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Child Trends • May 2007

Cohabitation: An Elusive Concept
This paper demonstrates that there is no easy definition or measurement of a cohabiting relationship, and argues that relationships between unmarried parents can be perceived as a continuum, from a marriage-like cohabiting relationship on one end, to the absence of any contact on the other.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Columbia University School of Social Work • 2004

Who Are “Fragile Families” and What Do We Know About Them?
This paper summarizes the findings of the first national study of unmarried parents, including information on their living conditions, financial security, and how they relate to one another.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Centre for Law And Social Policy • January 01, 2004

Why Marriage Matters: 21 Conclusions From the Social Sciences
This paper discusses the economic, educational, psychological, health-related, and developmental benefits of marriage and the negative consequences of divorce.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Centre of the American Experiment • 2002

Single Motherhood and Mental Health: Implications for Primary Prevention
In this paper, the author suggests that recent studies on single parenting point to the need for changes in both the policies and addressing the problems, and the way those policies are evaluated.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Canadian Medical Association • March 1997

Profile of Canadian Families and Households: Diversification Continues
This report on the Canadian census from 2001 highlights changes in Canadian households over the past two decades.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Statistics Canada • October 22, 2002

Mixed Unions
This study based on data from the 2001 and 1991 Census of Population, measures the prevalence of mixed unions comprised of a member of a visible minority and a member of a non-visible minority or two different visible minorities.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Statistics Canada • Summer 2004

Is a Baby a Good Reason to Marry?
This article examines the reasons which lead women and men to decide not to marry the other parent of their child.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Center of the American Experiment • Summer 2001

The Facts Behind Cohabitation
This fact-sheet document highlights research about the differences between cohabitation and marriage.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Civitas: the Institute for the Study of Civil Society • c.2001

Cohabitation and Marriage: How are they related?
This paper reports on marriage and cohabitation trends in Canada and provides a comparative analysis of these family structures.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• The Vanier Institute of the Family • September 2005

The Conflation of Marriage and Cohabitation in Government Statistics- A Denial of Difference Rendered Untenable by an Analysis of Outcomes
This paper discusses the findings from the Millennium Cohort Study in the U.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Bristol Community Family Trust • September 2006

An Overview of the Risks and Protectors for Children of Separation and Divorce
This paper reviews the research on family conflict, focusing on the effect of divorce and parental conflict on children.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Department of Justice Canada • 2002

The Divorced and Who Divorces?
This paper looks at the background and characteristics of the divorced population in Britain in order to better understand the breakdown of marriage.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion • May 1998

The Kids Are Alright? Children’s Well-Being and the Rise in Cohabitation
Using data from the 1999 National Survey of America’s Families (NSAF), this article examines the relationship between cohabitation, poverty, food insecurity and the material well-being and socio-economic outcomes of children.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• The Urban Institute • July 01, 2002

The Top Ten Myths of Divorce
This article briefly addresses the ten top myths about divorce and covers topics such as cohabitation, remarriage, and stepparenting, as well as the effects of divorce upon finances and children.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Rutgers State University • May 08, 2002

The Price of Living Together
This paper discusses the instability of cohabiting relationships and why they should not be granted the same legal rights and protection as marriages.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Maxim Institute • Summer 2002

The New Chronology of Union Formation: Strategies for Measuring Changing Pathways
This paper examines changing patterns of dating, courtship and union formation in the United States and discusses factors that contribute to these changes.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services • November 2003

The Marriage License as a Hitting License: A Comparison of Assaults in Dating, Cohabiting, and Married Couples
This study uses a single measure to evaluate the prevalence, frequency, severity and perpetrators of domestic violence across dating, cohabiting, and married relationships.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Family Research Laboratory • 1989

Staying Single: The Effects of Welfare Reform Policies on Marriage and Cohabitation
This paper examines the effects of 14 different American welfare and employment programs on marriage and cohabitation decisions among single-parent families.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• MDRC • April 2003

Children’s Elevated Risk of Asthma in Unmarried Families: Underlying Structural and Behavioral Mechanisms
This paper examines the correlation between parental marital status and asthma diagnoses among children.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Center for Research on Child Wellbeing • 2005

Children and the Stability of Cohabiting Couples
This paper seeks to determine whether or not having children increases the stability of cohabiting couples' relationships.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Center for Family and Demographic Research • 2000

Contemporary American Stepparenting: Integrating Cohabiting and Nonresident Stepparents
This paper redefines the tradtional conceptions of stepfamily and stepparent by including cohabitating relationships as a subcategory of stepfamilies.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Center for Family and Demographic Research • 2000

First Comes Cohabitation and Then Comes Marriage?
This paper examines cohabitors' expectations of marriage and demonstrates that, for many people, cohabitation is seen as an alternative to marriage, rather than as a precursor to marriage.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Center for Family and Demographic Research • March 2000

The Demography of Sexual Behaviour
This paper attempts to understand sexual behaviours in America and how sexual practices are shaping society.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation • 1994

A Literature Review on the Effectiveness of Marriage Education
This paper studies the form, function, and effectiveness of marriage education courses and programs by briefly examining relevant literature and research.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Australian Institute of Family Studies. • September 01, 1999

How Do Cohabiting Couples With Children Spend Their Money?
This paper uses data from the Consumer Expenditure Survey to compare spending patterns in cohabiting and married households.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Harris Graduate School of Public Policy Studies • April 2002

Cohabitation and Marriage Formation During Young Men's Career Development Process
This paper discusses the relationship between cohabitation and economic factors, and examines the effect of young men's career development processes on their entry into and exit from cohabitating unions.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• California Center for Population Research • September 2002

Cohabitation and Children’s Family Instability
This paper looks at the number of family transitions experienced by children in cohabiting households in order to determine the level of instability they experience.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Population Research Center • 2002

Parental Divorce in Childhood and Demographic Outcomes in Young Adulthood
This study found that young adults whose parents divorced were more likely to leave home due to conflict, be involved in cohabiting relationships, and to have a child out of wedlock than those whose parents were married.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• John Hopkins University • 1995

Cohabitation and the Measurement of Child Poverty
This paper looks at the effect that treating cohabiting couples like married couples would have on estimates of child poverty in the 1990 US Census.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Population Studies Center • June 1998

Living Together Unmarried in the United States: Demographic Perspectives and Implications for Family Policy
This paper examines cohabitation in the context of current trends in union formation and dissolution, and discusses the effects of cohabitation on child well-being.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Population Studies Center • March 2004

Attitudes, Values, and the Entrance into Cohabitational Unions
This paper demonstrates that, compared to those who choose marriage, individuals who cohabit are less likely to value marriage and family, more likely to highly value career success, and more likely to believe that money and leisure time for personal pursuits are very important.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Population Research Center • November 1993

Cohabitation, Marriage, and Non-Marital Fertility
This paper demonstrates that increasing trends of delayed marriage, marital disruption, and cohabitation place unprecedented numbers of women at risk of non-marital childbearing.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Population Research Center • May 1997

Living Arrangements of Single Mother Families: Variations, Transitions, and Child Development Outcomes
This study finds that children living with single or cohabiting mothers have poorer developmental outcomes than children living with married parents or with a single mother who lives with her parents.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Population Research Center • 2001

Religious Participation Over the Early Life Course: Age and Family Life Cycle Effects on Church Membership
This paper identifies factors which influence church membership among young adults, including age, family formation and attitudes towards marriage and family.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Population Research Center, University of Chicago • July 1994

The Implications of Parents' Conjugal Histories For Children
This paper examines the consequences of increasing levels of cohabitation, as opposed to marriage, as the basis for starting a family.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• ISUMA • Autumn 2000

The Changing Character of Stepfamilies: Implications of Cohabitation and Nonmarital Childbearing
This study discusses the definition of family in the context of stepfamily formation.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Center for Demograpgy and Ecology University of Wisconsin-Madison • March 1994

Cohabitation, Marriage and Union Stability: Preliminary Findings from NSFH2
This paper examines popular attitudes towards sex, relationships, and non-marital childbearing, as well as trends in cohabitation and the stability of cohabiting versus married relationships.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Center for Demography and Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison • May 1995

The Declining Significance of Marriage: Changing Family Life in the United States
This paper looks at the impact of divorce, nonmarital childbearing, and cohabitation on the living arrangements of children in the US.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Center for Demography and Ecology University of Wisconsin-Madison • 1995

Families in Britain
This paper examines changes in family structure and function in Britain, including a discussion of adoption, single-parenthood, marriage, divorce, and remarriage.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Family Policy Studies Centre • October 1995

Cohabitation, Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage in the United States: Data from the National Survey of Family Growth
This 1995 report presents national estimates of the probabilities of marital and cohabitation outcomes for women 15–44 years of age.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Department of Health and Human Services • July 2002

Socio-demographic Predictors of Divorce
This paper examines divorce trends in developed countries and seeks to determine whether or not there are socio-demographic characteristics that elevate an individual's risk of divorce.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Lord Chancellor's Department • 1999

The White Picket Fence Dream: Effects of Assets on the Choice of Family Union
This paper seeks to determine what, if any, relationship exists between an individual's housing and financial status and his or her transition into a cohabiting or marital union.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Center for Research on Families • March 17, 2005

Finding a Mate? The Marital and Cohabitation Histories of Unwed Mothers
This paper examines marital outcomes for unwed mothers.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Russell Sage Foundation • November 1999

Why Not Just Live Together?
By examining Swedish and Canadian data, the author looks at the effects of cohabitation on future marriage and on children.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Center of the American Experiment • Summer 2001

Diversity Among Unmarried Parents: Human Capital, Attitudes, and Relationship Quality (The Importance of Marriage Expectations)
This paper examines differences between married and unmarried parents, as well as differences among unmarried couples, to determine what factors are important in predicting marriage potential.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Center for Research on Child Wellbeing • Revised October 2002

Does the Charter Require Same-sex "Spouses"? M. v. H. Supreme Court of Canada File No. 25838
This paper summarizes and comments on the M. v H. case declaring that laws defining spouse as opposite-sex partners only violate the Charter right to equality. • Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Lex View • May 20, 1999 (decision date)

Cohabitation: A Snapshot
This paper examines patterns of cohabitation in the United States, the characteristics of cohabiters, the quality and length of their relationships, and the relationship between cohabitation, marriage, and divorce.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Center for Law and Social Policy • May 1998

Young Children’s Behavioral Problems in Married and Cohabiting Families
This paper examines child behavioural problems among children born to married and cohabiting couples.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Center for Research on Child Wellbeing • September 2004

Cohabitation: Sharpening a Fuzzy Concept
This paper discusses the reliability of measures of cohabitation, the prevalence of part time cohabitation, and the extent to which characteristics commonly associated with cohabitation are affected by the measurement of part-time cohabiting arrangements.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Center for Research on Child Wellbeing • May 2005

Dissolutions of Unions in Europe: A Comparative Overview
This paper provides an overview of patterns and trends in marital survival and dissolution in various countries in Western and Eastern Europe.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research • February 7, 2003

Institutional Arrangements and Life Course Outcomes: The Interrelations between Cohabitation, Marriage and First Birth in Germany and Sweden
This paper compares the connection between type of first union - cohabitation or marriage - and first childbirth in Germany and Sweden.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research • June 2002

Cohabitation, Marriage, First Birth: The Interrelationship of Family Formation Events in Spain
This paper explores the strong correlation between union formation and first birth in Spain.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research • November 2001

Proposed Reforms of Marital Institutions
This paper makes several proposals about reforming marriage and the family.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• The University of Chicago • May 2000

The Impact of Union Formation Dynamics on First Births in West Germany and Italy: Are There Signs of Convergence?
This paper examines the changing relationship between union formation and the transition to parenthood in West Germany and Italy.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research • October 2000

Is Marriage Losing its Centrality in Italy?
This article examines the delayed spread of cohabitation as a widely accepted form of union in Italy.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research • September 14, 2004

Cohabiting Unions in France and West Germany: Transitions to Birth and First Marriage
This paper examines the contribution of cohabitation to differences in nonmarital childbearing in France and West Germany.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research • December 17, 2002

To Tie the Knot or Not: Cohabitation, Marriage and Individuals' Attitudes to Risk
This paper proposes a theoretical model of the relationship between cohabitation and marriage.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research • May 23, 2002

Charting Parenthood: A Statistical Portrait of Fathers and Mothers in America
This report uses data from national surveys to provide a comprehensive comparison of mothers and fathers on more than 40 indicators of parenting, family formation, and fertility.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Child Trends • July 09, 2002

Family Disintegration and the Retreat from Common Sense
This document discusses the church’s reaction to family disintegration in the latter half of the twentieth century.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• The Christian Institute • 1995

The More Things Change? Children’s Living Arrangements since Welfare Reform
This brief paper looks at the changes in family structure and children's living arrangements since the 1996 welfare reform.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• The Urban Institute • October 01, 2003

Divorce: Facts, Figures, and Consequences
This report answers common questions about divorce and discusses the impact of divorce on children and adults.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• The Vanier Institute of the Family • 2002

Leaving Welfare Without Working: How do Mother's do it And What Are The Implications?
This paper explores the outcomes of unemployed women who have left welfare since the 1996 welfare reform and establishment of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Welfare Reform Academy • February 19, 2002

Capabilities and Employability of Unwed Mothers
This paper examines economic hardship and barriers to employment among cohabiting and non-cohabiting unwed mothers.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Center for Research on Child Wellbeing • January 01, 2001

Single Mothers in Various Living Arrangements: Differences in Economic and Time Resources
This paper examines the welfare of single mothers who are either cohabiting or living with their parents, and discusses how their race affects their outcomes.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Institute for Research on Poverty • November 01, 1995

Increased Cohabitation Changing Children's Family Settings
This brief paper discusses trends in cohabitation and the impact that increasing rates of cohabitation has on the family structure and living arrangements of children.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• National Institute of Child Health and Human Development • September 01, 2002

High Hopes But Even Higher Expectations: The Retreat From Marriage Among Low-Income Couples
This paper looks at unmarried parents' attitudes towards marriage and the likelihood that they will marry by the time their child is a year old.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Center for Research on Child Wellbeing • June 01, 2003

Beyond Single Mothers: Cohabitation, Marriage and the U.S. Welfare System
This paper examines patterns and consequences of marriage and cohabitation among welfare recipients in the United States.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Institute for Research on Poverty • July 01, 1995

Births Outside of Marriage: Perceptions vs. Reality
This paper discusses trends in non-marital childbearing and unwed motherhood, and challenges public perceptions of the nature and causes of out-of-wedlock births, and the characteristics of unwed mothers.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Child Trends • April 01, 2001

Marriage and the Economic Well-Being of Families with Children: A Review of the Literature
This paper examines the impact of marriage on the economic well-being of families with children.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• U. S. Department of Health and Human Services • July 01, 2002

Why Marriage Matters
This brief fact sheet discusses the economic benefits of marriage and the negative financial outcomes of single-parenting.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• The Family Research Council • May 18, 2004

Congress's Role in Improving Juvenile Delinquency Data
This paper critiques both the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency, and Congress for their failure to include family breakdown in their research and data on delinquency.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• The Heritage Foundation • March 10, 2000

Hardship in Married and Cohabiting Parent Households: Do Cohabiting Couples Underinvest in Household Public Goods?
This study suggests that couples in cohabiting relationships experience greater economic hardship than those in married relationships due to the uncertainty about the duration of their.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Center for Research on Child Wellbeing • September 01, 2003

Shifting Family Definitions: The Effect of Cohabitation and Other Nonfamily Household Relationships on Measures of Poverty
This paper responds to the argument that, when measuring poverty, the definition of family needs to be changed to include other relationships and living arrangements.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Institute for Research on Poverty • February 01, 1997

"Honey I'm Home." Changes in Living Arrangements in the Late 1990s
This study found that, in the late 1990s, there was a decline in the number of families led by single mothers and a rise in cohabitation.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• The Urban Institute • June 01, 2001

Married and Unmarried Parenthood and Economic Well-Being: A Dynamic Analysis of a Recent Cohort
This paper examines the living standards, income, and financial stability of single-parent, cohabiting, and married couple families to determine the impact of family structure on economic well-being.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• U. S. Department of Health and Human Services • July 01, 2002

Public Policy Perspectives on Marriage
This report from the United Kingdom provides a background of information, statistics, and perspectives on marriage from a Christian perspective
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• CARE U.K. • August 01, 2001

Understanding the Stick (or Is It the Carrot?): The Effect of Welfare Beliefs on Family Formation Decisions
This paper examines the extent to which low-income parents are aware that two-parent families may be eligible for welfare benefits under the 1996 welfare reform laws.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Center for Research on Child Wellbeing • November 01, 2002

Assortative Mating of the Divorced and the Never Married, 1970-1988
This paper examines the extent to which divorced and never-married people marry individuals with a similar marital history to their own.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Institute for Social Research • March 27, 2003

Australian Social Trends 1995: Family - Family Formation: Trends in De Facto Partnering
This article documents trends in cohabitation, cohabiting relationships, and births to cohabiting couples in Australia.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Australian Bureau of Statistics • January 25, 2001

Perception Correction for Congress: New Study Indicates Poor Parents Want to Marry
In response to the "Fragile Families" Survey, which indicated that policies encouraging marriage were well-received among poor and unwed parents, this paper recommends that Members of Congress provide funding through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Act in order to promote marriage.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• The Heritage Foundation Backgrounder • October 01, 2001

How Do Marriage, Cohabitation, and Single Parenthood Affect the Material Hardships of Families with Children?
This paper examines the effect of marital status and family structure on the economic situations of families with children.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• U. S. Department of Health and Human Services • July 01, 2002

Restoring a Culture of Marriage: Good News for Policymakers From the Fragile Families Survey
This article discusses the findings of the Fragile Families and Child Well-Being Survey and emphasizes the importance of promoting marriage among unmarried parents.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• The Heritage Foundation • June 01, 2002

The Verdict on Cohabitation vs. Marriage
This article looks at the benefits of marriage over cohabitation.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Brigham Young University • 2001

Changing Rules for Common Law Spouses: Beware!
This paper reviews the distinctions between common law and married spouses ...
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• CCLA Family Law Institute • May 25, 2001

Halpern et al v. Attorney General of Canada et al
This document states the judicial decision on whether the exclusion of same-sex couples from the traditional and common law definition of marriage breaches ss. 2(a) or 15(1) of the Canadian Charter of ...
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• COURT OF APPEAL FOR ONTARIO • June 10, 2003

State AFDC Rules Regarding the Treatment of Cohabitors: 1993
This study looks at the ways in which different states deal with the presence of a cohabitor in a household with recipients of AFDC (Aid to Families with Dependent Children).
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Institute for Research on Poverty • March 01, 1995

Profiling Canada's Families II
This document contains comprehensive and detailed information pertaining to the contemporary Canadian family.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Vanier Institute of the Family • 1998

Growing up With Mom and Dad? The Intricate Family Life Courses of Canadian Children
This paper looks at the changing compositions and structures of Canadian families and examines the rise in cohabiting, single-parent, and blended households.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Statistics Canada • July 01, 1998

Teen Relationships Study: TeenTalk on Parents, Marriage and Sex
This paper discusses both the significant role of parents in the lives of adolescents, and the views of teenagers on sex, marriage and relationships.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Families Northwest • February 01, 2001

It’s All in the Past? Exploring the Repercussions of Parents’ Early Conjugal and Parental Histories on the Family Life Course of Their Children
Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey on Children and Youth (NLSCY), this paper examines the impact the parents’ conjugal and parental behaviour (prior to the union in which the target child was born) has upon the child’s outcomes
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Human Resources Development Canada • January 01, 2002

Remarriage, Cohabitation, and Changes in Mothering Behavior
This paper investigates the extent to which cohabitation and remarriage affect single mothers' parenting in terms of parental supervision and time spent with children, patterns of disicpline and decision making, and relationship quality.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Center for Research on Child Wellbeing • May 01, 1998

Impacts of Marital Status and Parental Presence on the Material Hardship of Families with Children
This paper looks at how marriage, cohabitation, and single parenthood affect family incomes and living standards of children.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• U. S. Department of Health and Human Services • July 01, 2002

Cohabitation and Divorce Across Nations and Generations
This paper assesses the extent to which parental separation or divorce during childhood affects adulthood relational outcomes.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion • March 01, 2003

Should We Get Married in the Morning? A Profile of Cohabiting Couples with Children
Using data from the National Survey of America's Families, this paper explores the characteristics of cohabiting couples and the impact that this type of relationship has on child well-being.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• The Urban Institute • March 01, 2004

Family Portrait (2003 Version)
This book contains a compilation of information on various family-related issues such as marriage, adoption, cohabitation, divorce, unmarried childbearing, childcare, stepfamilies, and teen issues.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Family Research Council • August 01, 2002

Cleaning Up Their Act: The Impacts of Marriage and Cohabitation on Licit and Illicit Drug Use
This paper examines the impact of marriage or cohabitation on the risk behaviours of young adults, such as binge drinking, smoking, and marijuana consumption.
• Category: Family Structure > Cohabitation/Common-Law Marriage
• Northwestern University • August 25, 2003