The Spatial Diffusion of Non-Marital Cohabitation in Belgium since 1991

Yoann Doignon , Université Catholique de Louvain
Thierry Eggerickx, Université Catholique de Louvain
Ester L. Rizzi, Université Catholique de Louvain

Previous studies have shown that non-marital cohabitation is socially diffused, but few of them have addressed the spatial dimension of this diffusion process. At our knowledge, no studies exist for Belgium on this topic. This article examines the spatial dimension of this demographic change in Belgium, which is the diffusion of non-marital cohabitation, and tries to anser these questions: is there a process of spatial diffusion of non-marital cohabitation in Belgium? What is the spatial pattern of this process? To achieve these objectives, we use data from the Belgian National Register. This register makes it possible to adopt a detailed geographical level (the municipality) and a time coverage nearly a quarter of a century (1991-2015). We use thematic cartography to display the spatial diffusion of non-marital cohabitation in Belgium and reveal its spatial pattern. After, we model this process with spatial models.

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 Presented in Session P1. Poster Session Fertility, Family and the Life Course