Cohabiting Couples:  A Neglected Family Form that is Important for the Field of Family Business

W. Gibb Dyer; Steven Kofford; Brian J. Willoughby

doi:10.24310/ejfb.13.2.2023.16908

Authors

Gibb Dyer Marriott School of Business, Brigham Young University, United States
Steven Kofford Mississippi State University, United States https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2894-7760
Brian J. Willoughby Brigham Young University, United States

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24310/ejfb.13.2.2023.16908

Keywords:

Cohabiting couples, Married couples, Family capital, Family firm outcomes

Abstract

Cohabiting couples are a rapidly growing family form in the world today. However, this family form has not been accounted for in family business research. In this article, we examine the differences between cohabiting couples and married couples in terms of human capital, social capital, and financial capital. Moreover, we explore how these differences may impact outcomes for firms owned by cohabiting and married couples. Finally, we discuss how family business scholars can account for cohabiting couples in their research and how such research may help practitioners.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

References

Adler, P.S. & Kwon, S.W. (2002). Social capital: Prospects for a new concept. Academy of Management Review, 27, 17-40. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2002.5922314

Aldrich, H.E. & Cliff, J.E. (2003). The pervasive effects of family on entrepreneurship: Toward a family embeddedness perspective. Journal of Business Venturing, 18, 573-596. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0883-9026(03)00011-9

Amato, P. (1996). Explaining the intergenerational transmission of divorce. Journal of Marriage and Family, 58(3), 628-640. https://www.jstor.org/stable/353723

Amato, P., & Booth, A. (1997). A generation at risk: Growing up in an era of family upheaval. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Arregle, J.L., Hitt, M.A., Sirmon, D.G., & Very, P. (2007). The development of .organizational social capital: Attributes of family firms. Journal of Management Studies, 44, 73–95. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6486.2007.00665.x

Bailey, F. (2020). Unmarried couples and the family business. Retrieved at https://www.ifb.org.uk/resources/for-owners/unmarried-couples-and-the-family-business/

Becker, G. (1993). Human capital: A theoretical and empirical analysis, with a special emphasis on education (3rd Edition). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Blackwell, D.L. (2010). Family structure and children’s health in the United States: Findings from the National Health Interview, Survey 2001-2007. National Center for Health Statistics, Series 10, Survey N. 246. Retrieved at https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/6031

Brown, S. (2004). Family structure and child well-being: The significance of parental cohabitation. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 66, 351-367. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2004.00025.x

Brown, S.L. & Manning, W.D. (2009). Family boundary ambiguity and the measurement of family structure: The significance of cohabitation. Demography, 46, 85-101. https://doi.org/10.1353/dem.0.0043

Brown, S.L., Manning, W.D., & Payne, K.K. (2017). Relationship Quality Among Cohabiting Versus Married Couples. Journal of Family Issues, 38(12), 1730-1753. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X15622236

Bulanda, R.E., & Manning, W.D. (2008). Parental cohabitation experiences and adolescent behavioral outcomes. Population Research and Policy Review, 27, 593-618. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11113-008-9083-8

Bumpass, L. & Lu, H.H. (2000). Trends in cohabitation and implications for children s family contexts in the United States. Population Studies, 54, 29-41. https://doi.org/10.1080/713779060

Cherlin, A.J. (2010). The marriage-go-round: The state of marriage and the family in America today. London: Penguin.

Coontz, S. (2006), Marriage, a history: How love conquered marriage. New York: Penguin.

Corona, J. (2021). Succession in the Family Business: The Great Challenge for the Family. European Journal of Family Business, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.24310/ejfbejfb.v11i1.12770

De Massis, A. & Kammerlander, N. (2020). Handbook of qualitative research methods for family business. Cheltenham, UK: Elgar.

Dyer, W.G. & Wilkins, A.L. (1991). Better stories, not better constructs, to generate better theory. Academy of Management Review, 16 (3), 613-619. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1991.4279492

Dyer, W.G. & Dyer, W.J. (2009). Putting the family into family business research. Family Business Review, 22(3), 216-219. https://doi.org/10.1177/0894486509333042

Dyer, W.G., Nenque, E., and Hill, E.J. (2014). Toward a theory of family capital and entrepreneurship: Antecedents and outcomes. Journal of Small Business Management, 52(2), 266-285. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsbm.12097

Dyer, W.G., (2019). The family edge: How your biggest competitive advantage in business isn’t what you’ve been taught—It’s your family. Sanger, CA: Familius.

Dyer, W.G. (2021). Family Capital: The Key to Entrepreneurial and Family Success. In: Allen, M.R., Gartner, W.B. (Eds.), Family Entrepreneurship. Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-66846-4_2

Eisenhardt, K. M. (1989). Building theories from case study research. Academy of Management Review, 14(4), 532-550. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1989.4308385

Fairlie, R. W. & Robb, A. M. (2008). Race and Entrepreneurial Success. Cambridge: MIT Press.

Fagan, P. (2006). Why religion matters even more: The impact of religious practice on social estability. The Heritage Foundation. Retrieved at https://www.heritage.org/civil-society/report/why-religion-matters-even-more-the-impact-religious-practice-social-stability

Fitzgerald, M.A. & Muske, G. (2002). Copreneurs: An exploration and comparison to other family businesses. Family Business Review, 15(1), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-6248.2002.00001.x

Fletcher, D. (2010). ‘Life-making or risk taking’? Co-preneurship and family business start-ups. International Small Business Journal, 28(5), 452-469. https://doi.org/10.1177/02662426103703

Gallo, M.A. (2021). Coexistence, unity, professionalism and prudence. European Journal of Family Business, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.24310/ejfbejfb.v11i1.11973

Glaser, B.G. & Strauss, A.L. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. Chicago: Aldine.

Graff, N. (2019). Key findings on marriage and cohabitation in the U. S. Pew Research Center. Retrieved at https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2019/11/06/key-findings-on-marriage-and-cohabitation-in-the-u-s/

Guetto, R. & Panichella, N. (2019). Family arrangements and children’s educational outcomes. Demographic Research, 40, 1015-1046. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26727024

Hastings, O.P. & Schneider, D. (2021). Family structure and inequalities in parents' financial investments in children. Journal of Marriage and Family, 83, 717-736. https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12741

Hilburt-Davis, J. & Dyer, W.G. (2006). Consulting to family businesses. San Francisco: Pfeiffer.

Hoffman, J., Hoelscher, M., & Sorenson, R.L. (2006). Achieving sustained competitive advantage: A family capital theory. Family Business Review, 19(2), 135-145. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-6248.2006.00065.x

Holton, J.A. & Walsh, I. (2017). Classic grounded theory: Applications with qualitative & quantitative data. Sage Publications, Inc. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781071802762

Horowitz, J., Graf, N., & Livingston, G. (2019). Marriage and cohabitation in the U.S. Pew Research Center. Retrieved at https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2019/11/06/marriage-and-cohabitation-in-the-u-s/

Jaskiewicz, P. & Dyer, W.G. (2017). Addressing the elephant in the room: Disentangling heterogeneity to advance family business research. Family Business Review, 30(2), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1177/08944865177004

Kapelle, N. & Lersch, P. M. (2020). The accumulation of wealth in marriage: Over-time change and within-couple inequalities. European Sociological Review, 36, 580-593. https://doi.org/10.1093/esr/jcaa006

Korenman, S. & Neumark, D., (1992). Marriage, motherhood, and wages. Journal of Human Resources, 27, 233-255.

Kuhn, T. S. (1970). The structure of scientific revolutions (2nd edition). Cambridge: MIT Press.

Lansberg, I., Perrow, E.L., & Rogolsky, S. (1988). Family business as an emerging field. Family Business Review, 1(1), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-6248.1988.00001.x

Larson, J., (2001). The verdict on cohabitation vs. marriage. Marriage and Families. Retrieved at http://marriageandfamilies.byu.edu/issues/2001/January/cohabitation.htm

Lillard, L.A., & Waite, L.J. (1995). Till death do us part: Marital disruption and mortality. American Journal of Sociology, 100(5), 1131-1156. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2782273

Manning, W.D. (2020). Thirty years of change in cohabitation experience in the U.S., 1987-2017. National Center for Family & Marriage Research. Family Profile N. 27. Bowling Green State University. Retrievet at https://www.bgsu.edu/ncfmr/resources/data/family-profiles/manning-30-years-change-cohabitation-1987-2017-fp-20-27

Marshack, K.J. (1993). Coentrepreneurial couples: A literature review on boundaries and transitions among copreneurs. Family Business Review, 6(4), 355-369. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-6248.1993.00355.x

Marripedia (2019). The effects of cohabitation on children. Retrieved at: http://marripedia.org/effects_of_cohabitation_on_children#

Mason, C. M., Carter, S., & Tagg, S. (2011). Invisible businesses: The characteristics of home-based businesses in the United Kingdom. Regional Studies, 45(5), 625-639. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343401003614241

Miller, D. (2011). Miller (1983) revisited: A reflection on EO research and some suggestions for the future. Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice, 35(5), 873-894. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6520.2011.00457.x

Muske, G. & Fitzgerald, M.A. (2006). A panel study of copreneurs in business: Who enters, continues, and exits? Family Business Review, 19(3), 193-205. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-6248.2006.00070.

Musick, K. & Michelmore, K. (2018). Cross-national comparisons of union stability in cohabiting and married families with children. Demography, 55(4), 1389-1421. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13524-018-0683-6

Nahapiet, J., & Ghoshal, S. (1998). Social capital, intellectual capital, and the organizational advantage. Academy of Management Review, 23(2), 242–266. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1998.533225

Ogunjimi, B. (2022). Kurt Russell became ‘Pa’ to Goldie Hawn’s kids whose father considers them dead. Retrieved at https://news.amomama.com/288406-kurt-russell-became-pa-goldie-hawns-kids.html

Ortiz-García, P., Olaz-Capitán, A., & Monreal-Martínez, J. (2014). Family and cultural capital. The perspective of familiness. European Journal of Family Business, 4(2), 47-59. https://doi.org/10.24310/ejfbejfb.v4i2.5051

Pearson, A.W., Carr, J.C., & Shaw, J.C. (2008). Toward a theory of familiness: A social capital perspective. Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice, 32(6), 949-969. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6520.2008.00265.x

Perelli-Harris, B., Hoherz, S., Lappegård, T., & Evans, A. (2019). Mind the “happiness” gap: The relationship between cohabitation, marriage, and subjective well-being in the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, and Norway. Demography, 56(4), 1219-1246. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13524-019-00792-4

Perelli‐Harris, B., & Styrc, M. (2018). Mental well‐being differences in cohabitation and marriage: The role of childhood selection. Journal of Marriage and Family, 80, 239-255. https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12431

Pew Research Center (2019). The landscape of marriage and cohabitation in the U.S. Retrieved at https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2019/11/06/the-landscape-of-marriage-and-cohabitation-in-the-u-s/

Pollak, R.A. (1985). A transaction cost approach to families and households. Journal of Economic Literature, 23, 581-608. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2725625

Population Europe (2022). Cohabitation across Europe: Catching up with the new normal. Retrieved at https://population-europe.eu/network/news-network/cohabitation-across-europe

Rapp, I. & Stauder, J. (2020). Mental and physical health in couple relationships: Is it better to live together? European Sociological Review, 36(2), 303-316. https://doi.org/10.1093/esr/jcz047

Rosenfeld, M.J. & Roesler, K. (2019). Cohabitation experience and cohabitation's association with marital dissolution. Journal of Marriage and Family, 81(1), 42-58. https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12530

Sassler, S. & Lichter, D.T. (2020). Cohabitation and marriage: Complexity and diversity in union-formation patterns. Journal of Marriage and Family, 82(1), 35-61. https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12617

Soons, J. P., & Kalmijn, M. (2009). Is marriage more than cohabitation? Well-being differences in 30 European countries. Journal of Marriage and Family, 71(5), 1141-1157. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2009.00660.x

Sorenson, R. L. (2011). Family business and social capital. Northhampton, MA: Edward Elgar Publishing.

Stanley, S.M., Whitton, S.W., & Markman, H.J. (2004). Maybe I do: Interpersonal commitment and premarital or nonmarital cohabitation. Journal of Family Issues, 25(4), 496-519. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X032577

Stanley, S. & Rhoads, G., (2018). Premarital cohabitation is still associated with greater odds of divorce. Institute for Family Studies. Retrieved at https://ifstudies.org/blog/premarital-cohabitation-is-still-associated-with-greater-odds-of-divorce

Umberson, D., Thomeer, M.B., & Williams, K. (2013). Family status and mental health: Recent advances and future directions. In Aneshensel, C.S., Phelan, J.C., & Bierman, A. (Eds), Handbook of the Sociology of Mental Health, 405-431. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4276-5_20

United Nations (2016). Changing patterns of marriage and unions across the world. Family Planning. Population Trends. Retrieved at https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/pdf/popfacts/PopFacts_2016-2.pdf

United States Census Bureau (2022). Population Survey 2022 Annual Social and Economic Supplement. Census Bureau Statistics. Retrieved at https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2022/demo/families/cps-2022.html

Vazquez, P. & Campopiano, G. (2023). Beyond money: Wealth and wellbeing of the business family. European Journal of Family Business, 13(1), 5–18. https://doi.org/10.24310/ejfbejfb.vi.15094

Vitali, A. & Fraboni, R. (2022). Pooling of wealth in marriage: The role of premarital cohabitation. European Journal of Population, 38, 721-754. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10680-022-09627-2

Waite, L.J. (1996). Social science finds: “Marriage matters”, Responsive Community, 6(3), 26-35.

Waite, L.J. (1995). Does marriage matter? Demography, 32(4), 483-507. https://doi.org/10.2307/2061670

Williamson, O. E. (2013). The transaction cost economics project. Northhampton, MA: Elgar Publishing.

Willoughby, B.J. (2020). The Millennial Marriage. N.Y: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429292217

Willoughby, B.J. & James, S.L. (2017). The marriage paradox: Why emerging adults love marriage yet push it aside. Emerging Adulthood Series. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190296650.001.0001

Witte, J.Jr. (2012). From sacrament to contract: Marriage, religion and law in the Western tradition (2nd Edit). Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster/John Know Press.