Partnership Formation and Changes in Material Well-Being: Nordic vs East-European Context

Martin Klesment
Livia Olah, Stockholm University, Dept. of Sociology
Allan Puur, Tallinn University

While the economic consequences of divorce and union dissolution are well-documented, less is known about how individuals’ material well-being changes when they form new partnerships. Union formation can enhance material well-being through economies of scale, access to larger or higher-quality housing, or even increased likelihood of homeownership. This paper examines how men and women experience changes in material well-being, measured by shifts in household income and housing conditions, after entering a partnership. Our analysis focuses on Eastern and Northern Europe, regions characterized by different family structures, levels of economic development, and gender equality. We use longitudinal data from the EU Survey of Income and Living Conditions, covering 2003 to 2023, and including four Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden), the three Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania), Czechia, and Poland. The sample consists of 12,264 individuals aged 25–59, contributing a total of 37,328 observations. Preliminary findings indicate that union formation is associated with both general and context-specific outcomes. Entering a partnership tends to increase net equivalised household income across all countries, with a stronger effect for women. Changes in housing conditions, however, are more context-dependent. In Nordic countries, the number of rooms per equivalent household member remains stable or even increases, whereas in Eastern European countries, it declines noticeably. Regarding homeownership, forming a partnership is associated with a higher likelihood of becoming a homeowner with a mortgage, particularly in the Nordic context.

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 Presented in Session 16. Family and Households