Exploring the Cohabitation Gap in Relationship Dissolution and Health and Wellbeing: A Longitudinal Analysis of Transitions from Cohabitation and Marriage in Switzerland and Australia

Abstract

With the increase of unmarried cohabitation a growing body of research examines health differences between married and cohabiting people, but few studies investigate what happens when relationships end. While cohabitation offers some similar health advantages to marriage, typically cohabitants have been together less time, are less likely to have children or to have shared finances. Therefore separating from cohabitation may be less difficult than marriage. We compare Switzerland and Australia because the Swiss are more conservative in relationship formation and dissolution, where Swiss cohabitations are more serious and marriages more stable than in Australia. There are also important p..