La première mise en couple en Suisse : choix du type d'union et devenir de la cohabitation hors mariage

Changes in family formation behaviour are responsible for the coexistence of two forms of union in the developed countries: the fairly ?flexible? extramarital cohabitation, and the more formal or official form, marriage. Cohabitation is on the increase in Switzerland, currently accounting for nearly 9 in 10 newly-formed couples, but marriage is still considered the necessary condition for starting a family and the level of extramarital births remains among the lowest in Europe. In this context, it is highly instructive to study the factors that influence decisions about the form of the first union and the duration of non-marital cohabitation. The main finding of this article based on a survey of the family is that decisions about type of union are strongly influenced by religious observance, the fact of being pregnant, and economic circumstances. While educational attainment appears not to modify the form of union chosen at the time of couple formation, it is associated with the durations of premarital cohabitation.