. 2019 Jul 9;56(4):1219–1246. doi: 10.1007/s13524-019-00792-4

Table 3.

Descriptive statistics for cohabiting (COH) and married (MAR) men and women in midlife

	United Kingdom				Australia				Germany				Norway
	Men		Women		Men		Women		Men		Women		Men		Women
	COH	MAR	COH	MAR	COH	MAR	COH	MAR	COH	MAR	COH	MAR	COH	MAR	COH	MAR
Subjective Well-being	7.3	7.4	7.2	7.5	7.4	7.8	7.6	7.9	7.1	7.5	7.5	7.4	8.2	8.3	8.1	8.5
Mean/SD	2.1	2.2	2.4	2.3	1.4	1.3	1.7	1.3	1.5	1.5	1.5	1.5	1.2	1.3	1.7	1.3
Family Behavior
Union duration in years	11.2	16.5	11.8	18.5	9.8	14.9	12.6	16.7	8.5	21.2	8.7	21.8	11.7	17.6	13.9	20.2
Mean/SD	7.7	6.7	8.2	6.9	7.4	7.2	8.2	7.6	6.2	11.5	5.7	10.1	6.5	6.3	6.7	6.3
Ever separated (%)
No previous cohabiting union	36	75	29	76	44	88	47	86	67	62	78	62	53	78	53	77
Separated/divorced	64	25	71	24	56	12	53	14	33	38	22	38	47	22	47	23
Children with partner (%)
No children	50	32	46	38	37	7	32	5	44	9	30	7	23	6	18	4
Child with previous partner	15	5	18	4	21	4	21	6	29	20	43	20	24	11	18	11
Child with current partner	36	63	36	58	42	89	47	89	27	71	27	73	53	84	64	85
Relationship satisfaction^a	6.6	7.0	6.5	6.8	7.5	8.1	7.5	7.9	7.9	8.3	7.8	8.1	8.5	8.7	8.2	8.7
Mean/SD	2.1	2.1	2.2	2.2	2.2	1.9	2.3	2.0	1.7	1.5	1.7	1.5	1.5	1.4	2.0	1.4
Childhood Background
Parental separation^b
Yes	29	20	28	20	24	15	23	16	27	13	21	15	11	8	10	7
No	71	80	72	80	76	85	77	84	73	87	79	85	89	92	90	93
Both parents native (%)
Yes	79	66	77	66	38	57	48	56	79	85	90	90	93	90	94	90
At least one foreign-born	21	34	23	34	62	43	52	44	21	15	10	10	7	10	6	10
Mother’s education (%)
Low	35	39	43	40	60	53	57	56	20	32	23	30	44	44	48	39
Medium	58	55	51	53	31	33	27	27	71	55	70	58	48	44	44	49
High	7	6	6	7	9	14	18	17	9	13	7	12	8	12	8	12
Father’s education (%)
Low	35	35	41	37	33	36	38	40	8	16	10	14	33	32	43	28
Medium	55	53	50	52	53	43	44	41	70	65	77	66	56	48	49	48
High	10	12	10	12	14	21	18	19	22	19	13	20	11	20	8	24
Mother’s employment status (%)
Not employed	32	39	30	32	41	43	42	46	21	28	23	32	33	37	29	31
Employed	68	61	70	68	59	57	58	54	79	72	76	68	67	63	71	69
Father’s employment status (%)
Not employed	7	6	8	7	8	8	9	9	6	4	8	4	1	3	2	3
Employed	93	94	92	93	92	92	91	91	94	96	92	96	99	97	98	97
Father’s occupation (%)
Low	59	54	63	57	26	25	28	23	20	28	27	23	74	65	74	63
Medium	11	12	9	10	29	33	36	32	35	39	52	44	23	30	22	31
High	30	34	28	33	45	42	36	45	45	33	21	33	3	6	4	6
Current Situation
Education (%)
Low	17	16	20	13	32	21	33	35	5	6	5	8	25	19	29	23
Medium	48	38	40	40	46	42	29	28	67	64	69	63	52	53	36	39
High	35	46	40	47	22	37	38	37	28	30	26	29	23	28	35	38
Household income quintiles (%)
First	15	9	12	8	18	8	15	8	12	5	8	5	12	8	29	31
Second	21	18	25	15	26	20	23	19	9	11	9	13	14	8	35	30
Third	24	22	21	22	21	21	20	22	20	21	24	18	23	19	20	18
Fourth	20	25	23	27	24	25	27	24	28	38	37	36	29	29	9	13
Fifth	20	26	19	28	11	26	15	27	30	26	22	28	22	36	7	8
Employment status (%)
Out of labor force	7	4	16	18	12	4	20	21	3	5	4	19	5	5	12	12
Unemployed	8	4	7	3	4	3	2	1	9	4	8	4	1	1	1	1
Employed	85	92	77	79	84	93	78	78	88	91	88	77	94	94	87	87
Self-rated health	3.4	3.5	3.3	3.5	3.4	3.5	3.5	3.5	3.5	3.6	3.4	3.5	3.7	3.7	3.7	3.7
Mean/SD	1.2	1.2	1.2	1.2	1.0	1.0	1.0	0.9	0.9	0.9	0.8	0.9	1.1	1.1	1.2	1.1
Partner’s education (%)
Low	14	12	19	16	33	33	29	21	8	10	5	6	2	6	13	9
Medium	42	40	47	42	36	29	46	43	72	66	64	64	63	53	65	54
High	44	48	34	42	31	39	25	36	20	24	31	30	35	41	22	37
Partner’s employment status (%)
Out of labor force	25	23	17	9	25	20	16	7	25	25	13	8	12	12	8	5
Employed	75	77	83	91	75	80	84	93	75	75	87	92	88	88	92	95
Region^c
1	33	35	38	34	67	68	61	68	62	58	61	61	15	20	15	20
2	22	19	21	21	33	32	39	32	21	14	25	12	35	27	35	28
3	11	9	11	9	––	––	––	––	3	4	6	3	24	38	27	35
4	34	37	30	36	––	––	––	––	14	24	8	23	26	15	24	17
Total N	491	2,253	527	2,735	178	1,084	163	1,204	420	2,921	396	3,348	150	774	174	953
%	18	82	16	84	14	86	12	88	13	86	11	89	16	84	15	85

Source: Own calculations with UKHLS, HILDA, SOEP, and GGS; data are weighted.

^aFor Germany, we include satisfaction with family life because relationship satisfaction was not asked.

^bParents separated during childhood.

^cRegion in United Kingdom: 1 = Scotland, Ireland, and North England; 2 = Midlands and Wales; 3 = South West England; and 4 = South East England. In Germany: 1 = West Germany, 2 = East Germany stayed, 3 = East moved to West Germany, and 4 = born outside Germany. In Australia: 1 = urban, and 2 = rural. In Norway: 1 = Oslo area, 2 = East, 3 = South and West, and 4 = Mid and North.