First Union Formation in Italy: The Role of Micro- and Macro- Economic Uncertainty

Silvia Meggiolaro , Università di Padova
Fausta Ongaro , Università di Padova
Elena Pirani , University of Florence

In this paper we discuss the role of both macro- and micro-level sources of economic uncertainty on first co-residential union formation in Italy in recent years. We aim at determining if and to what extent the (postponement of) union formation is entirely explained by insecure employment positions (such as unemployment or temporarily employment) or even by adverse macro-economic conditions that increases individual perception of uncertainty, differentiating by union type – marriage and cohabitation – characterized by different levels of union commitment. We focus separately on men and women, to address potential gender differences. We rely on most recent available data coming from the ‘Families and Social Subjects’ survey, conducted in Italy by the Italian Statistical Institute (ISTAT) in 2016. Results suggest that both micro- and macro-level economic factors matter for postponing union formation but their effect is shaped depending on gender and union type. Individual economic instability has a greater impact on marriage than on cohabitation, but contextual economic uncertainty seems to be relevant especially for the transition to cohabitation. Moreover, some gender differences are found for both the micro-and macro- perspective, in particular for the transition to marriage.

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 Presented in Session 50. Union formation