Volume 53 - Article 34 | Pages 1101–1112  

Educational outcomes in stepfamilies: A comparative analysis of cohabitation and remarriage

By Anna Tegunimataka, Jonas Helgertz

Abstract

Background: The motivation for this study is the growing prevalence of cohabitation over remarriage in stepfamily formation. Despite this trend, there is limited research on how cohabitation versus remarriage affects children’s educational outcomes. This study examines these differences, focusing on ninth grade educational performance in Denmark.

Objective: The study investigates: How do grades differ for children in stepfamilies formed through cohabitation compared to remarriage?

Methods: Using longitudinal register data from Denmark, the study examines children born between 1986 and 2001. The main outcome is math grades from nationally standardized ninth grade exams. The analysis distinguishes between family structures based on whether parents cohabit or remarry after divorce, with controls for parental education, number of siblings, and relationship duration.

Results: Children from intact nuclear families have the highest math grades. Among children of divorced parents, those whose parents remain single perform better in school than those whose parents enter new relationships. Children in cohabiting stepfamilies fare worse than those in remarried stepfamilies, especially when the mother cohabits. The negative impact of cohabitation persists even when accounting for relationship duration.

Conclusions: Cohabiting stepfamilies are associated with worse educational outcomes for children compared to remarried stepfamilies, likely due to less household stability and resource sharing. The disadvantage is more pronounced on the mother’s side and does not improve significantly over time.

Contribution: This study fills a research gap by highlighting the educational disparities between children in cohabiting and remarried stepfamilies, offering new insights into the long-term impact of family structure on children’s academic performance.

Author’s Affiliation

• Anna Tegunimataka - Lunds Universitet, Sweden EMAIL
• Jonas Helgertz - Lunds Universitet, Sweden EMAIL

Other articles by the same author/authors in Demographic Research

Early life exposure to cigarette smoking and adult and old-age male mortality: Evidence from linked US full-count census and mortality data
Volume 49 - Article 25

Thou shalt not pass?: Examining the existence of an immigrant glass ceiling in Sweden, 1970-1990
Volume 24 - Article 1

Most recent similar articles in Demographic Research

The partnership context of first parenthood – and how it varies by parental class and birth cohort in the United Kingdom
Volume 53 - Article 16    | Keywords: cohabitation, cohort analysis, event history, event history analysis, family formation, intergenerational inequality, marriage, parental socio-economic status, parenthood, single parenthood, United Kingdom

Gendered labor market adjustments around marital and cohabiting union transitions during Europe’s early cohabitation diffusion
Volume 53 - Article 15    | Keywords: adult equivalent household income, cohabitation, employment income, gender inequalities, hours worked, intra-household specialization, marriage, union transitions

Attitudes toward child well-being in diverse families across Europe
Volume 53 - Article 11    | Keywords: attitudes, children, Europe, European Social Survey, family, gender, same-sex couples, single parenthood, stepfamily

Where do we go from here? Partnership-parenthood trajectories of cohabitation as first union during young adulthood in the United States
Volume 53 - Article 9    | Keywords: cohabitation, family inequality, fertility, marriage, race/ethnicity, transition to adulthood, union formation, United States of America

Education, religion, and male fertility in sub-Saharan Africa: A descriptive analysis
Volume 53 - Article 8    | Keywords: education, male fertility, polygyny, religion, sub-Saharan Africa