Premarital cohabitation in the Americas 1970-2010

1. Population Association of America
“Cohabitation in the Americas:
Geo-historical legacies and new
developments, 1970-2010”
Washington, D. C. / Friday, April 01, 2016
Albert Esteve, Ron Lesthaeghe (eds)
Forthcoming 2016, Springer
137 : Cohabitation Across the Americas April/01/2016 1

2. A. Lopez-Gay, J. Lopez-Colas, T. Castro-Martin, J. Quilodran, B. Laplante, A-L. Fostik, M.
Covre-Sussai, W. Cabella, G. Binstock, S. Kennedy, L. Neidert, I. Permanyer, J. Garcia-Roman,
A. Dominguez, C. Saavedra, A. Turu, T-A. Casido, V. Salinas.
Co-autors of chapters
137 : Cohabitation Across the Americas April/01/2016 2/13
Analyses
Reconstruction of trends by sub-region (e.g. Mexico since1930).
Evolution by level of education/social class and ethnicity, and reconstruction of cohort profiles
by education level.
Contextual analyses (with individual level data entered first, smallest possible area data next)
for USA , Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Bolivia, Peru, Chile.
Geo-historical bases of the cohabitation traditions.
New developments, SDT features.
Data
University of Minnesota IPUMS data files (anonymous individual-level samples of census data),
supplemented by country specific survey data (e.g. DHS, US Community Surveys ...).

3. Ethnographic references native populations : polygamy, polyandry, women & wife exchange,
“bride price/ service”, marriage a gradual process, no elaborate rites. But marriage celebrations
in populations stemming from large precolumbian states (Mexico, Andean ridge).
Black populations : gender separation among slaves, visiting unions and high cohabitation
rates.
European white settlers & even clergy : concubines.
Less social control & influence Christianity in frontier & remote areas.
Weaker states and/or tolerant legislation ( esp. Portuguese).
Pre-existing traditions :
High degree of diversity
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BUT ! factors => European marriage
But Late 19th & 20th Century European immigration (Italian, Spanish, German). Marriages
dominant in Southern Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile.
Urban bourgeoisie, educated strata.
The model of success, the reference point.
Evangelical christianity.

4. 137 : Cohabitation Across the Americas April/01/2016 4/13
Share of consensual unions
among all unions
Women 25-29
<10%
10-24%
25-39%
40-49%
50-59%
60-74%
75-89%
>90%
No data
1970 1990
1980 2000
2010

5. 137 : Cohabitation Across the Americas April/01/2016 5/13
Round 2000 Round 2010

6. Black populations
everywhere higher incidence of
cohabitation than national levels.
Native Americans: Very
often higher levels, except in
Central Mexico, Yucatan and on
Andean high plateau (effect of
historical existence of large states
with more stratified social
organization ?)
Percent cohabiting among all women in union,
selected Mexican indigenous populations, 1930-2010
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Ethnicity factor:

7. 137 : Cohabitation Across the Americas April/01/2016 7/13
Boxplot of the regional diversity of the percent of women 25-29
with primary education or more, by country and for the
two census rounds of 1970 and 2000.

8. The cohabitation boom among the young elites of
national administrative units, 1970s to 2000
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Rise in percentages cohabiting among all women 25-29 in a union with
Secondary education or more, 1970s to 2000 (Peru:1993-2007).
50%
10%

9. “Ready, Willing, and Able”
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Economic/material
Advantage;
Response to crisis
(expected: marriages
postponed and post-
crisis marriage boom)
Moral/ethical
acceptability
Legal framework
Legal adaptations
THE ETHICS
REVOLUTION
Individual freedom of choice with respect to divorce, euthanasia,
sexual orientation, abortion, even suicide. TOP DOWN DIFFUSION

10. Declining strength of the stigmatization of
suicide by education and period
.
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% never
acceptable
Education Level
1990s 2005-06

11. Weakening of strength of stigmatization of
homosexuality by education and period
.
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% never
acceptable
Education Level
1990s 2005-06
Data source: World Values Surveys.

12. 1. Rising cohabitation trend often already under way prior to economic shocks of
1980s, no clear postponement of marriages as a result of crisis, no post-crisis marriage
boom.
2. Uninterrupted rising, trend of cohabitation in ALL countries & areas and in ALL social
strata, with catching up among the higher education populations. Strong de-
stigmatization of premarital cohabitation. Trend still continuing.
3. Concomitant de-stigmatization abortion, homosexuality, euthanasia and even
suicide.
4. Latin American cohabitation boom is not only a demographic manifestation of centuries of
marked social inequality but now also the result of a much wider ethics revolution
and profound cultural change in ALL strata of the population (cf. SDT).
5. Contextual net effects of education, ethnicity, religion almost always highly
significant, and idem for many country-specific interactions (combinations).
6. Next? The other SDT factor : postponement of fertility and sub-replacement period
fertility level (just opposite compared to Far East, where fertility postponement came first,
cohabitation much later). First manifestations present among better educated women, but
countered by high teenage fertility in many settings.
Conclusions
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13. Thank you.
rlesthaeghe@yahoo.com
aesteve@ced.uab.es
Ron Lesthaeghe
Albert Esteve
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14. Supplementary slides
useful for discussion part
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15. 137 : Cohabitation Across the Americas April/01/2016 15/10
Share of consensual unions
among all unions
Women 25-29
<10%
10-24%
25-39%
40-49%
50-59%
60-74%
75-89%
>90%
No data
1970 1990
1980 2000
2010

16. 30 % peak in Chile,
Colombia. 130%
Mexico.
3000% peak in
Brazil, Argentina.
7,000-11,000%
peak in Peru,
Bolivia.
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Inflation rates1985
1990
1985
1990
1985
1990

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18. 137 : Cohabitation Across the Americas April/01/2016 18/10

19. Percentages women 25-29 cohabiting among
partnered women, by education and census data
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ArgentinaChile
BrazilUruguay

20. Percentages women 25-29 cohabiting among
partnered women, by education and census data
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ColombiaPeru
EcuadorVenezuela

21. Percentages women 25-29 cohabiting among
partnered women, by education and census data
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MexicoCostaRica
PanamaDominicanRepublic

22. De-stigmatization of homosexuality, 1990-2008
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0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
1990-94 1995-98 1999-2001 2005-08
Percentoftotalpopulation18+
Homosexuality always unacceptable
Argentina
Brazil
Chile
Colombia
Puerto Rico
Mexico
Uruguay
Venezuela
USA
France
Spain

23. Strength of the stigmatization of euthanasia, 1990-2008
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24. Strength of the stigmatization of abortion, 1990-2008
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25. Strength of the stigmatization of divorce, 1990-2008
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