Married or Not. A Multifactor Approach to Marriage and Cohabitation in Canada, 1991–2011.

Benoit Laplante , Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS)

Being married or cohabiting is commonly envisioned from one of two opposite perspectives. In the American perspective, cohabiting is the consequence of deprivation. In the European perspective, it is a by-product of a transformation of the society that allows individuals to organise their private life outside of the interference of the State. In this paper, we look at being married or not as the product of a multifactor process. We focus on three factors: endogamy, homogamy and within-couple gender relations. Our general hypotheses are that characteristics that make the couple close to what may be taken as the norm increase the probability of being married whereas characteristics that strengthen the economic position of the woman in the couple increase the probability of living in a consensual union. We use Canadian data. Our results match our hypotheses and the departures provide new insights on some aspects of the process.

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 Presented in Session 99. Relationship Development