Cohabitation, Marriage, and Union Dissolution in Norway: A Comparative Prospective Study

Abstract

Background: Few studies have examined dissolution rates among cohabitating and married couples, using prospective data.

Objective: The main aim was to examine trends in living arrangements and dissolution rates among married and cohabiting couples in Norway.

Method: Analysis of Norwegian longitudinal cohort data of 168,636 newly formed couples. Dissolution rates and relative risk were assessed at maximum 14 years of follow-up.

Results: Most of the married couples with a child were still living together after 14 years (65%), this was not the case for cohabiting couples. The majority of cohabiting couples who stay together eventually marry, particularly those who have children. At 4-year follow-up, young cohabiting couples had split up three times more often than married young couples.

Contribution: This study contributes by examining the effect of the living arrangement from a country where cohabitation has been the predominant living arrangement for many years.