Cohabiting and Married Individuals' Relations With Their Partner's Parents

Using Norwegian survey data on partnered individuals ages 18 to 55 (N = 4,061; 31% cohabitors), the current study investigated differences across marital and cohabiting unions regarding the patterns of contact with the parents of the partner. In addition to investigating the frequency of such contac...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of marriage and family Vol. 79; no. 4; pp. 1111 - 1124
Main Authors Wiik, Kenneth Aarskaug, Bernhardt, Eva
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Hoboken, USA The National Council on Family Relations 01.08.2017
Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
Blackwell Publishing Ltd
Subjects
Caregivers
Childlessness
Children
Cohabitation
Couples
Families & family life
Family Relationship
in-laws
intergenerational relations
Intergenerational relationships
Interpersonal Relationship
Marriage
Norway
Norwegian
Of General Interest
Parents
Parents & parenting
Personal relationships
Preschool Children
Social Capital
Social Networks
Unions
Norway
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Summary:Using Norwegian survey data on partnered individuals ages 18 to 55 (N = 4,061; 31% cohabitors), the current study investigated differences across marital and cohabiting unions regarding the patterns of contact with the parents of the partner. In addition to investigating the frequency of such contact, we assessed the nature of and perceived quality of contacts with the partner's parents. The authors grouped respondents according to whether they had children with their partner and controlled for a range of selection characteristics. Results confirmed that parents with preschool children met their in-laws more frequently than the childless, irrespective of union type. Married respondents as well as cohabitors with preschool children reported better relations with their partner's parents than childless cohabitors. Taken together, the results imply that having small children was more decisive for the relationship with the parents of the partner than getting married, particularly with regard to contact frequency.
ISSN:0022-2445
1741-3737
1741-3737
DOI:10.1111/jomf.12397