Cohabiting Partners’ Socioeconomic Characteristics and the Transition to Marriage in Finland

Authors

• Elina Mäenpää

DOI: https://doi.org/10.23979/fypr.45045

Keywords:

cohabiting unions, marriage, socioeconomic position, register data, Finland

Abstract

This study analyzes how the socioeconomic positions of cohabiting partners affect
the transition to marriage by using information on both partners characteristics.
The study uses a register-based data set compiled at Statistics Finland. The study
population consists of 3,648 women born in 1966-1971 who were in a cohabiting
union in January 1996, and who continued to cohabit or married their cohabiting
partner during the period 1996-2003. Transition to marriage was analyzed with Cox
regression model. Several control variables were included. As in previous studies, a
favourable socioeconomic position encouraged marriage, as marriage rate increased
with higher levels of education and income. Partners relative positions also had
importance, since marriage rate was low when the female partner had high and the
male partner low income, and the male partners unemployment discouraged marriage
especially when the female partner had no unemployment. Marriage rate was low
when both partners were studying