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My house or our home? Transitions into sole home ownership in British couples

Author

Listed:
  • Philipp M. Lersch

    (Universität zu Köln)

  • Sergi Vidal

    (Centre d'Estudis Demogràfics (CED))

Abstract

Background: It is mostly assumed that both partners in couples own their homes jointly. We challenge this assumption and examine the individual ownership configurations within couples in Britain. We argue that the individual legal status as an owner will determine to what degree individuals can benefit from home ownership. Objective: Two research questions are addressed: (1) How frequent is home ownership by only one partner in a couple, i.e., sole home ownership, in Britain? (2) Which factors are associated with the transition into sole home ownership for partnered individuals? Methods: Using longitudinal data from the British Household Panel Survey (1992-2008) and the UK Household Longitudinal Study (2010-2011), we apply logistic regression and discrete-time event history analyses. Results: We find that 8% of partnered individuals in owner-occupancy are sole homeowners. Many individuals become sole homeowners at union formation by remaining the owner of a pre-union home. A substantial share of partnered individuals become sole homeowners during their unions. Overall, transitions into sole home ownership are more likely after divorce, with more economic resources, with stepchildren living in the home, for cohabitants, and with shorter union durations. Conclusions: Sole home ownership is partly an outcome of demographic processes such as increased union instability and more frequent cohabitation. In turn, sole home ownership may also impinge on these processes. For instance, sole home ownership may increase the risk of union dissolution compared to joint home ownership. This is one avenue for future research. Contribution: The current study is the first quantitative analysis to investigate the extent to which home ownership is jointly held within couples. By taking into account that home ownership may be an individual asset not shared in couples, this analysis substantially contributes to the emerging literature on within-union wealth inequalities.

Suggested Citation

  • Philipp M. Lersch & Sergi Vidal, 2016. "My house or our home? Transitions into sole home ownership in British couples," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 35(6), pages 139-166.
    • Handle: RePEc:dem:demres:v:35:y:2016:i:6
    DOI: 10.4054/DemRes.2016.35.6
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Júlia Mikolai & Hill Kulu & Clara Mulder, 2020. "Family life transitions, residential relocations, and housing in the life course: Current research and opportunities for future work: Introduction to the Special Collection on “Separation, Divorce, an," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 43(2), pages 35-58.
    2. Doron Shiffer-Sebba & Julia Behrman, 2021. "Gender and Wealth in Demographic Research: A Research Brief on a New Method and Application," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 40(4), pages 643-659, August.
    3. Jane Zavisca & Theodore Gerber & Hyungjun Suh, 2021. "Housing Status in Post-Soviet Contexts: A Multi-dimensional Measurement Approach," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 153(2), pages 609-634, January.
    4. Philipp M. Lersch & Emanuela Struffolino & Agnese Vitali, 2022. "Wealth in Couples: Introduction to the Special Issue," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 38(4), pages 623-641, October.
    5. Rory Coulter & Michael Thomas, 2019. "A new look at the housing antecedents of separation," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 40(26), pages 725-760.
    6. Maude Pugliese & David Pelletier & Céline Bourdais, 2023. "Separation and Savings in Tax-Favored Retirement Accounts Among Canadian Men and Women," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 42(4), pages 1-33, August.
    7. Sandra Krapf & Michael Wagner, 2020. "Housing Affordability, Housing Tenure Status and Household Density: Are Housing Characteristics Associated with Union Dissolution?," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 36(4), pages 735-764, September.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    homeownership; couples; property rights; life course analysis; British Household Panel Survey (BHPS);
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics
    • Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General

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