Dr Nadia Flanigan and Dr Jennifer Zorotovich Social

Dr. Nadia Flanigan and Dr. Jennifer Zorotovich Social Gerontology Conference October 11, 2019

§ Cohabitation: when unmarried couples live together (Lamanna, Riedmann, & Stewart, 2018) § Rates of cohabitation in the United States have increased among adults of all ages, but especially among adults ages 50 and older (Stepler, 2017) § The number of cohabiting adults ages 50 and older increased from 2. 3 million to 4 million (75% increase) from 2007 to 2016 § This was the sharpest increase of any age group! § However, most cohabiters are young adults (Stepler, 2017) § In 2016, § About 7% of all adults in the U. S. cohabited § Only 4% of adults 50 and older cohabited § Only 23% of all cohabiting adults were ages 50 and older

§ Most have been married before (Brown, Lee, & Bulanda, 2006) § In 2016, over half (55%) were divorced, 13% were widowed, and 27% had never been married (Stepler, 2017) § Most are between the ages of 50 and 59 (Stepler, 2017) § In 2016, over half (57%) were ages 50 -59, 30% were ages 60 -69, 10% were ages 70 -79, and only 3% were ages 80 and older § They have more stable unions and report higher relationship quality compared to cohabiting young adults (Brown, Bulanda, & Lee, 2012; King & Scott, 2005) § They are more likely to view their unions as a substitute for marriage rather than as a path towards marriage (Brown et al. 2012; King & Scott, 2005)

Young Adults Middle-aged and Older Adults § More likely to cohabit before § More likely to cohabit after a § Tend to view cohabitation as a § Less stable cohabiting unions § More stable cohabiting unions § Lower relationship quality § Higher relationship quality marriage path towards marriage previous marriage substitute for marriage

§ Increasing acceptance of cohabitation as a lifestyle today compared to the past (Brown & Wright, 2016; Thorton & Young-De. Marco, 2001) § Aging Baby Boomers § Generation of adults born between 1946 -1964 § More likely to cohabit compared to past generations (Brown et al. , 2006; De Jong Gierveld, 2004) § “Gray divorce”: divorce rates among adults 50 and older have increased (Brown & Lin, 2012; Cooney & Dunne, 2001) § Divorced adults may potentially remarry or cohabit § Lower remarriage rates among older adults (Cooney & Dunne, 2001)

§ Cheaper to live together than to live apart? § Older cohabiters have more household income than do older adults who are unpartnered (Brown et al. , 2006) § However, older adults are less likely than young adults to choose cohabitation because of economic disadvantage (Brown et al. , 2012) § Concerns about losing Social Security benefits or pensions upon remarriage and protecting adult children’s inheritance (Chevan, 1996) § However, findings from Brown et al. ’s (2012) study did not support this § Unmarried older adults are more likely to receive informal care if they cohabit than if they live alone (Chevan, 1996)

§ Older cohabiting adults are less lonely than older adults who are unpartnered (Wright & Brown, 2017) and report higher levels of support from their partners compared to older adults living apart together (Lewin, 2017) § Cohabitation requires less commitment than marriage (Brown et al. , 2006; King & Scott, 2005) § Cohabitation allows for more role flexibility and independence compared to marriage but still provides long-term intimacy (De Jong Gierveld, 2004; King & Scott, 2005) § Older widows anticipate taking on the role of spousal caregiver role if they remarry (Talbott, 1998)

§ Older cohabiting adults are more likely than older remarried adults to be divorced rather than widowed (Brown et al. , 2006; Brown et al. , 2012) § Compared to older married adults, § Older cohabiting adults tend to be less financially stable (Brown et al. , 2006) § They have less income and are less likely to own their homes, and cohabiting women are less likely to have health insurance § Older cohabiting men (but not women) report more depressive symptoms (Brown, Bulanda, & Lee, 2005) § Wright and Brown (2017), however, found similar levels of psychological well-being between older cohabiters and older married adults § Relationship quality among cohabiting older adults and remarried older adults is similar (Brown & Kawamura, 2010) § However, older cohabiters are less likely to say that their relationships are very happy

§ Compared to older married adults, older cohabiting adults may be more socially isolated § Are less likely to have friends or relatives living nearby (Brown et al. , 2006) § Exchange less support with family members (Eggebeen, 2005) § Have less contact with and report lower relationship quality with their adult children (De Jong Gierveld & Peters, 2003) § With increasing numbers of middle-aged and older adults cohabiting, what are the implications of these findings for informal care in later life?

§ Findings from Noël-Miller’s (2011) study of partner caregiving among older cohabiting couples: § Cohabiting older adults who were disabled were less likely than married older adults to receive informal care from their partners § However, cohabiting partners of disabled older adults who took on the role of caregiver provided the same amount of assistance as spouses did § Cohabiting older adults who were disabled and receiving care from their partners relied more heavily on their partners for care than did those who were married

§ Findings from Noël-Miller’s (2011) study continued: § Cohabiting older adults who had been previously married did not differ from remarried older adults in the amount of care they received from partners § Prior marital history (being divorced) may be related to why older cohabiting adults are less likely to receive informal care

§ Cohabitation in middle and late adulthood differs from cohabitation in young adulthood § Rates of cohabitation among adults 50 and older are expected to continue to rise over the next decade § Cohabitating unions and marriages in later life may be more similar than once thought to be § Cohabiting older adults may be disadvantaged when it comes to access to informal support and informal care

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