Cohabitation, marriage and separation: contrasts in Europe

Fewer and fewer Europeans are marrying and more and more are living together without being married. Europeans are also separating and divorcing more frequently, often to form a second or even a thirdunion. Beyond these common trends, the situations in different countries are highly contrasting: nonmarital cohabitation and union dissolution are widespread in the north, while marriage continues to predominate in southern Europe and in some eastern European countries