Non-Marital Cohabitation in Italy
Christin Löffler
ii Universität Rostock Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaftliche Fakultät
Dissertation zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades doctor rerum politicarum (Dr. rer. pol.) der Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaftlichen Fakultät der Universität Rostock
vorgelegt von Christin Löffler (geb. Schröder), geb. am 12. August 1980 in Parchim
Rostock, 31. März 2009
iii Acknowledgements This dissertation project was funded by the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in Rostock (MPIDR) and by the State of Mecklenburg Western Pomerania. I thank both for giving me the opportunity to carry out this research. For their useful advice and suggestions I am deeply grateful to my supervisors, Professors Laura Bernardi and Peter A. Berger. My work further profited from the highly valuable comments of my colleagues at the MPIDR and in particular from the discussions and remarks offered by the members of the Independent Research Group “Culture of Reproduction.” I also highly appreciate my interviewees’ readiness to share their private experiences and views with me. Without that readiness, this study would not have been possible! For language editing I thank David Harrison. Last but not least, I am very grateful to my husband Falko for his continuous support throughout the last couple of years.
iv Table of Contents
Index of Tables ...... ix Index of Figures...... x List of Abbreviations...... xi
Part I Theoretical Considerations
Introduction...... - 3 -
Chapter 1 Cohabitation in an International Perspective...... - 9 - 1.1 Introduction ...... - 9 - 1.2 Family Development in Europe from 1960 onwards ...... - 9 - 1.3 The Evolution of Cohabitation in a European Perspective ...... - 14 - 1.4 Marriage and Cohabitation in Italy: Strong Regional Variations ...... - 18 - 1.5 Conclusion ...... - 24 -
Chapter 2 Theoretical Framework ...... - 27 - 2.1 Introduction ...... - 27 - 2.2 Theoretical Considerations on Transition to Cohabitation in Italy ...... - 27 - 2.2.1 Diffusion Theory ...... - 27 - 2.2.2 Europe’s Second Demographic Transition ...... - 29 - 2.2.3 The Welfare State Approach ...... - 31 - 2.2.3.1 The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism ...... - 31 - 2.2.3.2 Institutional Fragmentation and Clientelism...... - 33 - 2.2.4 Labor Market Approach ...... - 34 - 2.2.5 The Gender Perspective ...... - 36 - 2.2.6 The Role of Family Ties and Religion ...... - 39 - 2.3 Understanding the Development of Cohabitation in Italy ...... - 40 - 2.3.1 Italy in the Context of Europe’s Second Demographic Transition ...... - 40 - 2.3.2 The Impact of Formal and Informal Institutions ...... - 43 - 2.3.2.1 Formal Institutions ...... - 43 - 2.3.2.2 Informal Institutions ...... - 45 - 2.4 Conclusion ...... - 48 -
v Part II Empirical Investigations
Chapter 3 Research Questions and Research Design ...... - 55 - 3.1 Introduction ...... - 55 - 3.2 Research Questions ...... - 55 - 3.3 The Mixed-Method Design of the Study ...... - 58 - 3.4 Conclusion ...... - 61 -
Chapter 4 Measuring the Impact of Education on Entry into Cohabitation in Italy...... - 63 - 4.1 Introduction ...... - 63 - 4.2 Hypotheses ...... - 63 - 4.3 Quantitative Research Design and Data ...... - 66 - 4.3.1 Event History Data and Analysis ...... - 66 - 4.3.2 Data and Model Description ...... - 67 - 4.4 Results ...... - 70 - 4.4.1 Impact of Individual Characteristics ...... - 70 - 4.4.1.1 Spread of Informal Unions ...... - 70 - 4.4.1.2 Influence of the Employment Situation ...... - 72 - 4.4.1.3 Late Entry into Cohabitation ...... - 72 - 4.4.1.4 Impact of a Woman’s Own Level of Education and Educational Attendance ...... - 73 - 4.4.2 Impact of Family Background Factors ...... - 75 - 4.4.2.1 Impact of Parents’ Education ...... - 75 - 4.4.2.2 The Opposite Side of the Coin: Impact of Parents’ Education on Direct Marriage ...... - 79 - 4.5 Conclusion ...... - 80 -
Chapter 5 Qualitative Research Design: Cohabitation in Two Different Regional Settings - 85 - 5.1 Introduction ...... - 85 - 5.2 Qualitative Research Design and Data ...... - 85 - 5.2.1 The Qualitative Approach ...... - 85 - 5.2.2 The Settings: Bologna and Cagliari ...... - 88 - 5.2.3 Data Collection ...... - 92 - 5.2.4 Sample Description ...... - 96 - 5.2.5 Data Analysis ...... - 98 - 5.3 Presentation of Typical Cases for Bologna and Cagliari ...... - 103 - 5.3.1 Bologna: Eleonora, age 34, cohabiting and childless ...... - 104 - 5.3.2 Cagliari: Patrizia, age 38, cohabiting and childless ...... - 105 - 5.4 Conclusion ...... - 107 -
vi Chapter 6 The Transition to and Meaning of Cohabitation...... - 109 - 6.1 Introduction ...... - 109 - 6.2 The Transition to Cohabitation ...... - 110 - 6.2.1 Bologna: Gaining Experiences of Life Separately ...... - 110 - 6.2.2 Cagliari: Gaining Experiences of Life Together ...... - 112 - 6.2.3 Comparing the Transition to Cohabitation in Bologna and Cagliari ...... - 114 - 6.3 The Meaning of Cohabitation ...... - 115 - 6.3.1 Bologna: Cohabitation as Definite Decision for the Partner ...... - 115 - 6.3.2 Cagliari: Definite Decision for the Partner before Cohabitation ...... - 119 - 6.3.3 Comparing the Meaning of Cohabitation in Bologna and Cagliari ...... - 123 - 6.4 Conclusion ...... - 126 -
Chapter 7 The Transition to and Meaning of Marriage ...... - 129 - 7.1 Introduction ...... - 129 - 7.2 The Transition to Marriage ...... - 129 - 7.2.1 Bologna: In the Tradition of Civil Marriages ...... - 129 - 7.2.2 Cagliari: The Persistence of Church Weddings ...... - 133 - 7.2.3 Comparing the Transition to Marriage in Bologna and Cagliari ...... - 136 - 7.3 The Meaning of Marriage ...... - 138 - 7.3.1 Bologna: Toward Marriage as a Formal Act ...... - 138 - 7.3.2 Cagliari: Marriage as Emotional Choice ...... - 141 - 7.3.3 Comparing the Meaning of Marriage in Bologna and Cagliari ...... - 143 - 7.4 Conclusion ...... - 145 -
Chapter 8 The Impact of Formal Institutions...... - 147 - 8.1 Introduction ...... - 147 - 8.2 The Labor Market Situation and its Influence on Cohabitation ...... - 148 - 8.2.1 Bologna: Economic Insecurity at the Initial Stage of the Professional Life ...... - 149 - 8.2.2 Cagliari: Prolonged Economic Insecurity ...... - 152 - 8.2.3 Comparing the Impact of the Labor Market on Cohabitation in Bologna and Cagliari ...... - 157 - 8.3 The Housing Market and Its Influence on Cohabitation ...... - 160 - 8.3.1 Bologna: Home Ownership ...... - 160 - 8.3.2 Cagliari: Striving for Home Ownership ...... - 163 - 8.3.3 Perception of Housing Market and Consequences on Cohabitation in Bologna and Cagliari ...... - 165 - 8.4 Perceived Legal Regulations and Their Consequences for the Diffusion of Cohabitation ...... - 167 - 8.4.1 Bologna: Marriage as Social Security for Children and Future Social Protection ...... - 168 - 8.4.2 Cagliari: Marriage as Social Protection for the Present ...... - 172 - 8.4.3 Comparing the Impact of Perceived Legal Disadvantages of Cohabitation among Women in Bologna and Cagliari ...... - 175 - 8.5 Conclusion ...... - 177 -
vii Chapter 9 The Impact of Informal Institutions ...... - 181 - 9.1 Introduction ...... - 181 - 9.2 The Influence of Parents and Intergenerational Interdependencies ...... - 183 - 9.2.1 Parental Influence in Bologna ...... - 184 - 9.2.1.1 Settling the Conflict ...... - 185 - 9.2.1.2 Ignoring the Conflict ...... - 188 - 9.2.1.3 Agreeing with Parents ...... - 191 - 9.2.1.4 Conclusion: Parental Influence in Bologna ...... - 193 - 9.2.2 Parental Influence in Cagliari ...... - 195 - 9.2.2.1 Stringing Parents Along ...... - 196 - 9.2.2.2 Standing Up to Parents ...... - 199 - 9.2.2.3 Agreeing with Mothers ...... - 202 - 9.2.2.4 Conclusion: Parental Influence in Cagliari ...... - 205 - 9.2.3 Comparing Parental Influence in Bologna and Cagliari ...... - 206 - 9.3 The Influence of Friends on Cohabitation and Union Formation ...... - 209 - 9.3.1 Bologna: Prevalence of a Positive Evaluation ...... - 210 - 9.3.2 Cagliari: Between Acceptance, Skeptical Criticism and Envy ...... - 213 - 9.3.3 Comparing the Influence of Friends on Cohabitation and Union Formation in Bologna and Cagliari - 217 - 9.4 The Role of Religion and the Local Culture ...... - 219 - 9.4.1 Bologna: Secularization and Critical Examination ...... - 219 - 9.4.2 Cagliari: Striking a Balance between Catholicism and Own Beliefs ...... - 222 - 9.4.3 Comparing the Role of Religion and Its Influence in Bologna and Cagliari ...... - 225 - 9.5 Gender Relations and Their Manifestation among Cohabiting and Married Couples ...... - 227 - 9.5.1 Bologna: Striving for Equal Rights and Duties...... - 228 - 9.5.2 Cagliari: Persistence of Gender-Based Rights and Duties ...... - 234 - 9.5.3 Comparing Gender Relations in Bologna and Cagliari ...... - 240 - 9.6 Conclusion ...... - 245 -
Chapter 10 Conclusion...... - 251 - 10.1 Introduction ...... - 251 - 10.2 Substantial Quantitative Research Findings ...... - 252 - 10.3 Substantial Qualitative Research Findings ...... - 254 - 10.4 Integrating the Quantitative and Qualitative Research Findings ...... - 260 - 10.5 Concluding Discussion and Future Research Perspectives ...... - 265 -
Bibliography ...... - 269 - Appendix A ...... - 283 - Appendix B ...... - 287 -
viii Index of Tables Table 2.1: Unemployed youth living with parents in selected Western countries (1991 3) p. 32 Table 2.2: Summary of approaches p. 48 Table 4.1: Sequence of nested models presenting the relative risks of the transition to non marital cohabitation as a first relationship for women in Italy p. 71 Table 4.2: Relative risks for the transition to non marital Cohabitation of women in Italy p. 74 Table 4.3: Relative risks for the transition to informal cohabitation of women in Italy, with an interaction between level of education and educational attendance. p. 75 Table 4.4: Relative risks for the transition to informal cohabitation and direct marriage of women in Italy p. 79 Table 5.1: Mean prices of housing property (euro per square meter) in the area of Bologna, 2000 2002 p. 90 Table 5.2: Description of the Bologna and Cagliari Samples p. 97 Table 6.1: Summary of findings on the transition to and the meaning of cohabitation p. 127 Table 7.1: Summary of findings on the transition to and the meaning of marriage p. 146 Table 8.1: Formal institutions and theoretical assumptions p. 148 Table 8.2: Summary of influence of formal institutions on cohabitation p. 179 Table 9.1: Informal institutions and theoretical assumptions p. 182 Table 9.2: Summary of influence of informal institutions on cohabitation p. 247 Table 10.1: Suitability of initial theoretical assumptions p. 264 Table A.1: Exposure statistics of all covariates used in the models p. 283 Table A.2: Relative risks for the transition to cohabitation of women in Italy (including education (1) of the father (2) of the mother (3) of both parents) p. 284 Table A.3: Sequence of nested models presenting the relative risks of the transition to direct marriage as a first relationship for women in Italy p. 285
ix Index of Figures Figure 1.1: Mean age at female first marriage (<