Publication type
Conference Paper
Series
BHPS-2005 Conference: the 2005 British Household Panel Survey Research Conference, 30 June -2 July 2005, Colchester, UK
Author
Publication date
June 1, 2005
Abstract:
The increasing incidence of singleness is an important aspect of the dramatic familial and household changes that have taken place in recent decades in Great Britain. These changes have been the subject of much academic attention and political concern. There are however several difficulties in using singleness as a robust conceptual category, including the dynamic nature of partnership status and the shifting meanings which attach to singleness over time. These difficulties mean that information on the extent of singleness is not readily available from either annual household survey or registration data.
This paper presents the results of survival analyses conducted on the British Household Panel Survey, undertaken to assess the extent to which there has been an increase in single men and women, that is those outwith any residential union, marital or cohabiting. Using the BHPS enables an assessment of changes over time in both the shift from marriage to cohabitation, as well as changes in the incidence of those remaining outwith any residential partnership. Comparing the rates of those 'nevermarried' with those who are 'never-partnered' in specific birth cohorts allows an assessment of the extent to which declining rates of marriage are accounted for by increasing cohabitation. Providing these figures by sex and specific ages enables an assessment of whether there is a delay or decline in partnership formation, and the extent to which these differ for men and women. The evidence of a delay amongst recent cohorts of both men and women in forming residential unions demonstrates that larger proportions are experiencing longer periods of singleness compared to previous cohorts. There is also some evidence of a decline in partnership formation by specific ages, however this is more marked amongst men.
Link
- http://www.iser.essex.ac.uk/bhps/2005/download.php
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