A study of living apart together in Switzerland

Oliver LIpps, Swiss Foundation for Research in the Social Sciences (FORS)
Ivett Szalma, Swiss Centre of Expertise in the Social Sciences

Oliver Lipps - Ivett Szalma A study of living apart together in Switzerland More and more research shows that a substantial portion of the adult population is living in a form of partnership known as ‘living-apart-together’ (LAT) (Gierveld, 2004; Levin 2004). Persons in a LAT-relationship identify themselves as being in a relationship but not living together with the partner. Research found that people who live in a LAT relationship are not a homogeneous group. It appears that there are at least two dominant forms of LAT partnerships: a ‘transitory’ type arrangement and a more permanent type of arrangement, (Trost, 1998; Reimondos et al., 2011). We describe socio-demographic, attitudinal, health and well-being profiles of people who live in a LAT relationship compared to those who do not have a partner and those with a resident partner. We will use data from the Swiss Household Panel (SHP) which has been conducted every year since 1999. References Gierveld, J., (2004). Remarriage, unmarried cohabitation, Living Apart Together: Partner relationship following bereavement or divorce. Journal of Marriage and Family, 66, 236-243. Levin, I. (2004) Living Apart Together: A New Family Form. Current Sociology, March, Vol. 52(2): 223–240. Reimondos, A., Evans, A. & Gray, E. (2011). Living-apart-together (LAT) relationships in Australia. Family Matters, 87, 43–55. Trost, J. (1998) LAT relationship now and in the future. In K. Matthijs (Ed.), The Family: Contemporary Perspectives and Challenges (pp 209–222). Louvain, Belgium: Leuven University Press.