Women’s changing socioeconomic position and union formation in Spain and Portugal

Economic and sociological theories of marriage have long emphasized the impact of women’s education and employment on union formation. In this study, we explore the relevance of the female economic independence hypothesis to explain women’s patterns of entry into marriage and cohabitation in Portuga...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Demographic research 2008-08, Vol.19, p.1513-1550
Main Authors: Domínguez-Folgueras, Marta, Castro-Martín, Teresa
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Behavior
Changes
Cohabitation
Demography
Earnings
Education
Educational attainment
Employment
Females
Fertility
Gender roles
Humanities and Social Sciences
Independence
Marriage
Opportunity costs
Political systems
Portugal
Research Article
Socioeconomic Status
Socioeconomics
Sociology
Spain
Studies
Women
Womens education
Working women
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Summary:Economic and sociological theories of marriage have long emphasized the impact of women’s education and employment on union formation. In this study, we explore the relevance of the female economic independence hypothesis to explain women’s patterns of entry into marriage and cohabitation in Portugal and Spain. In these two Southern European countries, gender equity has improved remarkably in the public sphere, but family relations remain structured along traditional gender roles. We focus on three indicators of women’s autonomy: educational attainment, employment status, and having lived independently from the family of origin. The analysis is based on the Fertility and Family Surveys and discrete-time multinomial logistic regression models are used to estimate the odds of marrying, cohabiting or remaining single. The results suggest that whereas the effect of female education is consistent with the independence hypothesis, women’s labour force participation encourages union formation, particularly among younger cohorts. Living independently from the family of origin reduces the likelihood of entering into marriage but increases considerably the odds of cohabiting.
ISSN:1435-9871
2363-7064
1435-9871
DOI:10.4054/DemRes.2008.19.41