Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review 2015, 51(2): 261-278 | DOI: 10.13060/00380288.2015.51.2.161

Cohabitation - Joint Living without a Joint Purse?

Dana Hamplová

Sociologický ústav AV ČR, v.v.i, Praha

The article uses ISSP 2012 data to investigate money allocation practices in Czech households. It examines the extent to which married and cohabiting couples differ with respect to money pooling and whether the observed differences can be attributed to the socio-demographic composition of married and unmarried couples or different value orientations. The empirical part uses a sequential logistic analysis. First, the odds of pooling (versus non-pooling) are explored; second, the odds of using fully independent money management (versus partial pooling) are estimated. The results show that cohabiting couples are more likely not to pool money and are more likely to keep their money completely separate. Although the socio-demographic composition of the couples explains some of the differences, it does not account fully for all the differences observed. Even if the socio-demographic and value differences are controlled cohabiting couples are still more than twice as likely not to pool their money.

Keywords: income management, pooling, marriage, cohabitation, ISSP 2012

Published: April 1, 2015Show citation