Who cohabits in 2001? The significance of age, gender, religion and ethnicity

In this article we report on the growth in rates of cohabiting as opposed to marriage occurring in Australia over the last decade. We examine the relationship between cohabiting and the key demographic and social factors of age, gender, religion and ethnicity. The main data sources are the findings of the 1996 and 2001 Censuses. It is argued that the spectacular growth in cohabiting in Western countries generally is linked to technological developments that allow the separation of sex and reproduction, the growth in employment opportunities for women, the declining influence of organized religion, and the growth in individualism. We are aware of the limitations of census data for understanding social and cultural processes but nevertheless argue that engaging in this type of analysis facilitates understanding issues that have significant policy as well as personal implications. These include comprehending why cohabiting relationships are less stable than marriages and what contribution, if any, cohabiting makes to falling fertility rates.