This paper explores the strategies for reconciling family and work in different union types. The focus here is on investigating how cohabiting and married individuals perceive the work-life conflict in different European countries. To test the union type impact on work-life balance in the context of different societal conditions, this paper draws…

Studied unmarried cohabiting couples in Gavle, Sweden to test the hypothesis that unmarried cohabitation in Sweden is a variety of marriage rather than an alternative to it. Data indicated the same norms apply to both forms of cohabitation; also, the majority of unmarried couples intend to wed eventually. (Author)

There has been an enormous increase in the number of unmarried cohabiting couples in Sweden and Denmark and a decrease in the marriage rate. Is unmarried cohabitation a deviant behavior? This question is discussed and the answer is given that in Sweden it is not. (Author)