Subjective Well-Being by Partnership Status and Its Dependence on the Normative Climate

Impact du contexte normatif sur le bien-être subjectif par statut d’union

Ellen Verbakel ()
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Ellen Verbakel: Tilburg University

European Journal of Population, 2012, vol. 28, issue 2, No 5, 205-232

Abstract: Abstract This study first examines the relationship between partnership status and subjective well-being in 45 European countries by analyzing the European Values Study 2008. It was expected and empirically confirmed that married individuals have the highest level of well-being, followed by (in order) cohabiting, dating, single, and finally widowed and divorced individuals. In addition, this study examines to what extent the well-being gaps depend on the normative climate in which an individual lives. It is hypothesized that: (a) being in a non-married relationship (especially cohabitation and divorce) lowers well-being compared to being married in societies that reject non-traditional partnership statuses; and (b) not having a partner is especially detrimental for well-being levels in familialistic societies, which emphasize the importance of a strong, close-knit family. The normative climate appears to hardly affect well-being gaps between partnership statuses. Only the gap between divorced and married women is significantly wider in familialistic societies. It is concluded that the weak dependence of well-being on the normative climate may point at high autonomy in private, relationship-related decisions.

Keywords: Well-being; Partnership status; Marriage; Divorce; Multilevel analysis; European Values Study; Bien-être; Statut d’union; Mariage; Divorce; Analyse multi-niveaux; European Values Study (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (18)

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DOI: 10.1007/s10680-012-9257-2

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