Marital unions and unmarried cohabitation in Bangkok, Thailand are cohabiters different from singles or married people?

Aree Jampaklay, Fariha Haseen

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

11 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Cohabitation has been understudied in the Thai context where national data on the complex forms of contemporary unions remain extremely rare. This paper uses data of the National Survey on HIV/AIDS Risk Behaviours and ART Knowledge in Thailand (NSBS), 2006 to understand the issue of cohabitation in contemporary Thailand. The data were collected from 6048 individuals aged 18-59, among whom about half were aged 18-24. In general, cohabitation is still uncommon in Thailand, accounting for only 2.4 per cent of 18-59-year-old individuals. The multivariate analysis of the study sample in Bangkok, where cohabitation is most common, suggests that married individuals and cohabiters are significantly different in terms of geographical area, age, education, religion, religiosity and work. Results reveal both consistent and different effects across genders. Further research on family formation in Thailand should acknowledge the complex forms of sexual unions and explore how differentials in background characteristics between married persons and cohabiters affect other aspects of family processes such as the wellbeing of couples and children.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)137-156
Number of pages20
JournalAsian Population Studies
Volume7
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jul 2011

Keywords

  • Cohabitation in urban thailand
  • Marital union
  • Marriage pattern

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