Cohabitation trends, policies and practices: Situating the United Kingdom in an international perspective

6 February 2015 - 10.00am - 16.00pm at the Local Government Association, Local Government House, Smith Square, London SW1P 3HZ.

Family formation in the United Kingdom has changed rapidly during the last decades. Perhaps most strikingly, the number of couples who live together without being married has surged and many cohabitants today raise children. The purpose of this workshop was to explore the latest developments in cohabitation trends and policies in the United Kingdom and abroad, and to encourage debate about issues that affect those cohabiting at different life stages.

The workshop brought together demographers and legal researchers from the ESRC Centre for Population Change and other Universities as well as interest groups, policy makers and support organisations. By encouraging dialogue across disciplines and backgrounds, the workshop allowed participants to consider the challenges and policy implications of family change in Britain from a variety of perspectives. With cohabitation currently being the fastest growing family type in the United Kingdom, these issues have never been more relevant.

Programme

09:30 - 10:00 Registration

10:00 - 10:10 Welcome and Introduction
Brienna Perelli-Harris

10:10 - 11:10 The diversity of cohabitation: Who cohabits? And why?

Cohabitation trends: An international perspective
Brienna Perelli-Harris

Towards a new understanding of cohabitation: Insights from focus group research across Europe and Australia
Brienna Perelli-Harris, Monika Mynarska, Ann Berrington, Caroline Berghammer, Ann Evans, Olga Isupova, Renske Keizer, Andreas Klaerner, Trude Lappegård and Daniele Vignoli

Understanding the role of cohabitation in the UK
Ann Berrington

Cohabitation trends and patterns in the UK
Ann Berrington and Juliet Stone

Commitment and the changing sequence of cohabitation, childbearing and marriage: insights from qualitative research in the UK
Ann Berrington, Brienna Perelli-Harris and Paulina Trevena

Questions and discussion
Jennifer Holland

11:10 - 11:30 Coffee break

11:30 - 12:30 Family changes in the UK: Insights from relationship support services

Relationships, Recession and Recovery
Chris Sherwood

Separation and couples' access to mediation
Jane Robey

Strengthening couple relationships, married or not: Online early intervention
Penny Mansfield

Questions and discussion
Traute Meyer

12:30 - 13:30 Lunch break

13:30 - 14:30 The legal rights of cohabitants in the UK and abroad

Cohabitants and their rights in the United Kingdom
Anne Barlow

The role of marital status in family policies: A comparison of 12 European countries
Nora Sánchez Gassen

Questions and discussion
Rebecca Probert

14:30 - 14:45 Coffee break

14:45 - 15:45 Panel Discussion

Moderator: Wendy Sigle

Panellists: Sir Paul Coleridge, Joanna Miles & Simon Duncan

15:45 - 16:00 Closing Remarks
Brienna Perelli-Harris

16:00 Reception

Posted 16/12/2014 10:47