The Subjective Well-Being of the Previously Married: The Importance of Unmarried Cohabitation and Time Since Widowhood or Divorce

This article examines cohabitation among the unmarried, which is very common, particularly among the divorced. Unmarried cohabitation is in most cases associated with a substantially higher level of subjective well-being, but the importance of cohabitation depends on the time since the termination of the marriage. There is a substantial short-term negative effect of becoming widowed, but little or no long-term effect. The negative effect of divorce seems to be stable aver time, but this could be a result of differential selection for remarriage. For those who have established a new relationship of cohabitation during the first year after the marital separation, the separation seems to be a positive event. In contrast, the separated who live alone during the first year report very low levels of well-being.