Matrimonios "sin papeles": perfil sociodemográfico de las parejas de hecho en España según el Censo de 2001

Abstract

Although unmarried cohabitation is less frequent in Spain than in most European countries, it is undergoing a significant increase. This article analyzes a 5% sample of the 2001 census microdata in order to estimate the prevalence of consensual unions in Spain and to compare the socio demographic profile of unmarried and married couples. According to the census data, 4.3% of all women aged 15 to 49 were cohabiting in 2001, and 8.1% of all partnerships were consensual unions. The census data also reveal that cohabitation is not exclusively a youth phenomenon (one third of cohabiting women are older then 35) or a precursor to marriage (in onefourth of cohabiting unions, at least one member has been previously married), and that cohabitation is more common among foreign residents in Spain than among Spanish-born population. With regard to the socio demographic profile of cohabiting women, the analysis reveals that they are younger, more urban, better educated, more likely to be employed and have fewer children than married women. Cohabiting couples are also less homogamous, with regard to age, educational level and nationality, than married couples.