The determinants of repartnering in mid-life and later life in the United Kingdom

Dieter Demey, University of Southampton
Ann M. Berrington, University of Southampton
Maria Evandrou, University of Southampton
Jane C. Falkingham, University of Southampton

Repartnering is steadily turning into a common life experience for many as more and more enter a second or higher-order co-residential union. While most remarry during the prime childbearing years, a non-negligible proportion does so in mid-life and later life. For instance, in England and Wales, more than one fourth of those born in 1945 who had remarried by age 65 entered a second marriage between ages 45 and 65. However, little is known about remarriage and repartnering in mid- and later life and about whether the determinants of repartnering change over the life course. For instance, the role of children - such as their presence, age and number - in repartnering in mid- and later life is not well understood. The aim of this study is to investigate the determinants of co-residential repartnering in mid-life and later life after a partnership dissolution for those who experienced a partnership break-up between ages 45 and 65. It uses data from the first wave of the United Kingdom Household Longitudinal Study, which collected data on current and previous co-residential partnerships, including on cohabitation, marriage and civil partnerships. It also provides information on resident and non-resident children, socio-economic status, family background, religion, income and health. In a first step of the analysis, life table techniques will be used to investigate the time to repartnering for several subgroups. In a second step, event history models will be used to investigate the determinants of repartnering in mid-life and later life. Competing risk models will be estimated to investigate whether the determinants of repartnering differ by the type of the repartnering event (i.e. cohabitation versus marriage). By specifically focussing on repartnering in mid-life and later life, this study will improve our understanding of the determinants of forming co-residential partnerships in older ages.