Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review 2017, 53(4): 565-592 | DOI: 10.13060/00380288.2017.53.4.358

Partnership Trajectories of Mothers without a Co-residential Partner

Hana Morávková, Martin Kreidl

Fakulta sociálních studií, Masarykova univerzita, Brno

We investigate partnership transitions of mothers who had no coresidential partner at the time of birth of their first child ('solo mothers'). Using retrospective partnership and co-residence histories from the Czech 2005 GGS, we investigate mothers' entry into the first subsequent co-residential partnership using event history methods. We test several hypotheses derived from the individualisation theory. While approximately one half of 'solo mothers' had no co-residential partner at the time they had their first child, almost 50% of them did enter a co-residential partnership subsequently. The probability of transitioning into a co-residential partnership increased over cohorts. Whereas about 25% of solo mothers from the oldest cohort (first child born before entered a co-residential partnership with the 20 years after having their first child, in the youngest cohort the figure was almost two-thirds. The highest odds are among very young solo mothers. Well-educated solo mothers are more likely to remain without a co-residential partner and the effect of education increases over cohorts, perhaps reflecting their growing ability and willingness to remain solo.

Keywords: single mothers, partnership transitions, survival analysis, life-course, de-standardisation

Published: August 1, 2017Show citation