Downloads

Image representing the file: bn107.pdf

bn107.pdf

PDF | 1.34 MB

<p>In the government's recent State of the Nation report it was asserted that cohabiting parents have an increased likelihood of separating relative to married couples. In this Briefing Note, we critically appraise this statement, building on analysis contained in our recent IFS Commentary, <i>Cohabitation, Marriage and Child Outcomes</i>. </p>

    Authors

    Alissa Goodman
    Alissa Goodman

    Research Fellow University College London

    Alissa is an IFS Research Fellow and a Professor of Economics and Director of the Centre for Longitudinal Studies at the UCL Institute of Education.

    Ellen Greaves
    Ellen Greaves

    Research Fellow University of Exeter

    Ellen, who was a Senior Research Economist at IFS and is now a Research Fellow, is a Lecturer in Economics at the University of Exeter.

    Report details

    DOI
    10.1920/bn.ifs.2010.00107
    Publisher
    IFS

    Suggested citation

    Goodman, A and Greaves, E. (2010). Cohabitation, marriage and relationship stability. London: IFS. Available at: https://ifs.org.uk/publications/cohabitation-marriage-and-relationship-stability (accessed: 29 October 2026).

    Press release

    More from IFS

    Understand this issue

    Graduate

    Is a degree a good investment?

    podcast

    Is university still worth the cost? We examine graduate earnings, student debt, course value and who really benefits from getting a degree.

    6 August 2026

    Policy analysis

    Academic research