Parental divorce and the timing of first union formation in Sweden

Ying Hong, Stockholm University

Many studies based on industrialized countries other than Sweden have found that parental divorce has strong effects on children’s family formation. The current study examines the relationship between childhood family conflict and the timing of union (cohabitation and marriage) formation in nowadays Sweden by applying the hazard regression models. The analysis is based on a postal panel survey of Family and Working Life in the 21st Century, which was conducted in the spring of 1999 and 2003 respectively to randomly selected young men and women born in the years of 1968, 1972, 1976 and, for the second wave only, 1980. The study analyses not only the impact of the type of childhood family (intact or divorced) but also the influences of the degree of family conflict on young people’s attitudes toward family and marriage, as well as on their union formation. Other related family and individual background factors are also taken into account.