The role of cohabitation in family formation: The United States in comparative perspective

TLDR

The prevalence of nonmarital cohabitation is steadily increasing in the United States, and analysts have mainly compared cohabiters to noncohabiters to assess its impact on family formation. This study aims to compare the United States with 16 industrialized nations regarding cohabitation’s role in family formation. The authors identify six conceptually distinct ideal types of cohabitation, propose empirical indicators for each, and estimate these indicators for 17 nations. While several countries align with a single ideal type, U.S.

Abstract

The prevalence of nonmarital cohabitation is steadily increasing in the United States. In evaluating the contribution of this new living arrangement to family formation, analysts have relied primarily on comparisons between individuals who cohabit and those who do not. We complement this line of inquiry by comparing the United States and 16 industrialized nations. We first identify six conceptually distinct ideal types of cohabitation with respect to family formation. We then propose empirical indicators to distinguish between the different ideal types, and estimate the values of these indicators for each of the 17 nations. Our findings indicate that although a number of countries fit an empirical pattern corresponding to one ideal type, cohabitation in the United States is more difficult to characterize.