A new look at the housing antecedents of separation

BACKGROUND Research connecting partnership dissolution to housing dynamics usually concentrates on the adverse and gendered effects of separation on housing careers. Much less is known about whether housing circumstances are also influential antecedents of separation. OBJECTIVES This paper examines...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Demographic research 2019, Vol.40, p.725-760
Main Authors: Coulter, Rory, Thomas, Michael
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Affordable housing
Analysis
Arrearage
Careers
Cohabitation
Collaboration
Correlation analysis
Couples
Demographic change
Demographics
Demography
Dissolution
Divorce
Dwellings
Financial risk
Home ownership
Homeowners
Households
Housing
Housing conditions
Housing policy
Housing tenure
Loans
Longitudinal studies
Married couples
Occupations
Partnerships
Payments
Public health
Public housing
Rent arrears
Research Article
Separation
Social psychology
Social research
Society
Tenants
Trends
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Summary:BACKGROUND Research connecting partnership dissolution to housing dynamics usually concentrates on the adverse and gendered effects of separation on housing careers. Much less is known about whether housing circumstances are also influential antecedents of separation. OBJECTIVES This paper examines how three dimensions of housing circumstances are associated with separation: (1) legal arrangements of housing tenure and gendered housing contracts; (2) the lived environment (space) within dwellings; and (3) couples' ability to meet housing payments. METHODS This theoretical framework is tested using event history probit models of separation among a large sample of couples drawn from the United Kingdom Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS). RESULTS The results show that all three dimensions of housing circumstances are associated with separation. Crucially, mortgage or rent arrears strongly increase the risk of partnership dissolution, especially among married couples who otherwise typically have a low propensity to separate. The risk of partnership dissolution is greater for renters than homeowners and greater female control over housing predicts separation, with partnership dissolution more likely when only the woman is written into the dwelling contract as compared to when both partners or only the man hold contractual rights. CONTRIBUTION These results suggest that growing difficulties obtaining secure and affordable housing could have negative consequences for partnership stability. We therefore call for researchers to engage more thoroughly with housing as a potential driver of demographic change.
ISSN:1435-9871
2363-7064
1435-9871
DOI:10.4054/DemRes.2019.40.26