Separations, Reconciliations, and Living Apart in Cohabiting and Marital Unions

Abstract

Using data from a panel study of White young adults containing complete marital and cohabiting union histories from age 15 through 31, our goal is to track and compare the paths along which young adults arrange and time the entries and exits from marital and cohabiting unions. We focus on the incidence, duration, and outcomes of 2 dimensions that embrace residential separation: (a) separations that relate to discord in the relationship and (b) living apart from the partner or spouse for reasons other than discord. Our results show that union trajectories are dynamic and involve a heterogeneous and multidirectional array of transitions. We also find consistent differences supporting the idea that marital unions are more stable and durable than cohabiting unions.

The Impact of Premarital Cycling on Early Marriage

“…Estimates suggest only one third of couples who have a trial separation reconcile and half of those who reconcile separate again within three years (Binstock & Thornton, 2003). Interestingly, couples in our sample who were cyclical prior to marriage were not more likely to divorce than those who never ended and renewed their relationships.…”

“…Research with young adult spouses found around one third report a separation and renewal (e.g., Binstock & Thornton, 2003); yet only 6% of spouses in a national sample of married couples reported a trial separation and were no more likely to report premarital cycling than spouses who did not experience a trial separation (Vennum et al, in press). These mixed findings do not allow for a specific hypothesis, but these data will provide additional insight into this question by exploring whether or not premarital cycling is related to trial separations during the first five years of marriage.…”

A note on race, ethnicity and nativity differentials in remarriage in the United States

“…In total, our analyses employ data on 1,599 women who separated from or divorced their first husband (600 from NSFG and 999 from SIPP.) We censor marital events post 2002 in the SIPP and twelve months prior to the interview date in the NSFG data, because we want to exclude women with separations that occur less than one year prior to the survey as they may reconcile with their partners (Binstock and Thornton 2003). Lengths of separations can vary with some couples never formally divorcing; for example, prior research suggests long-term separations are more common among black couples (McCarthy 1978;Morgan 1988).…”

Variety of Transitions into Lone Parenthood

“…For instance, if we were to study lone parenthood together with noncustodial parenthood, we may find mismatches in the declarations of men and women concerning the start of their respective new situations (some may think of themselves as in a partnership and some as already single). These challenges are not unique to lone parenthood and are strictly related to similarly blurred frontiers and definitions of cohabitation and Living Apart Together relationships (Binstock and Thornton 2003;Manning and Smock 2005). By pointing out the complexities associated with studying lone parenthood, we hope to contribute to the field by informing future data collection and empirical analysis of lone parenthood.…”