Living apart together

For the 1982 film, see Living Apart Together (film).

Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir had a "living apart together" relationship.

Relationships
(Outline)
Types
Genetic or adoptive
By marriage
Partner(s)
Intimate and sexual
Activities
Endings
Emotions and feelings
Practices
Abuse

Couples living apart together (LAT) have an intimate relationship but live at separate addresses.[1][2] It includes couples who wish to live together but are not yet able to, as well as couples who prefer to (or must) live apart, for various reasons.

The term lat-relation became popular in the 1970's in The Netherlands, due to the movie Frank en Eva by Pim de la Parra, which had Living Apart Together as a tagline (and was internationally released as Living Apart Together).[3][4]

In the early 2000s, LAT couples account for around 10% of adults in Britain (excluding those who live with family), and over a quarter of all those not married or cohabiting. Similar figures are recorded for other countries in northern Europe, including Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.[5][6] Research suggests similar or even higher rates in southern Europe, although there LAT couples often remain in parental households.[7] In Australia, Canada and the US representative surveys indicate that between 6% and 9% of unmarried adults has a partner who lives elsewhere.[8][9][10] LAT is also increasingly understood and accepted publicly, is seen by most as good enough for partnering, and subject to the same expectations about commitment and fidelity as marriage or cohabitation.[7]

Within Asia, "walking marriages" have been increasingly common in Beijing. Guo Jianmei, director of the center for women's studies at Beijing University, told a Newsday correspondent, "Walking marriages reflect sweeping changes in Chinese society." A "walking marriage" refers to a type of temporary marriage formed by the Mosuo of China, in which male partners live elsewhere and make nightly visits.[11] A similar arrangement in Saudi Arabia, called misyar marriage, also involves the husband and wife living separately but meeting regularly.[12]

  1. ^ Strohm CQ, Seltzer JA, Cochran SD, Mays VM (2009). ""Living Apart Together" relationships in the United States". Demogr Res. 21: 177–214. doi:10.4054/demres.2009.21.7. PMC 3091814. PMID 21566723.
  2. ^ Aart C. Liefbroer; Anne-Rigt Poortman; Judith Seltzer (2015). "Why do intimate partners live apart? Evidence on LAT relationships across Europe". Demographic Research. 32: 251–286. doi:10.4054/DemRes.2015.32.8. PMC 4465270. PMID 26085812.
  3. ^ "What is the meaning of LAT?". 1973.
  4. ^ "Frank en Eva".
  5. ^ Levin I (2004). "Living Apart Together: A New Family Form". Current Sociology. 52 (2): 223–240. doi:10.1177/0011392104041809. S2CID 145153417.
  6. ^ Haskey J (2005). "Living arrangements in contemporary Britain: Having a partner who usually lives elsewhere and Living Apart Together (LAT)". Population Trends. 122: 35–45.
  7. ^ a b Duncan S, Phillips M (2010). "People who live apart together (LATs) – how different are they?". The Sociological Review. 58 (1): 112–134. doi:10.1111/j.1467-954x.2009.01874.x. hdl:10454/4485. S2CID 145403193.
  8. ^ Reimondos, A., Evans, A. and Gray, E. (2011) Living-apart-together (LAT) Relationships in Australia, Family Matters, Vol. 87: 43–55,
  9. ^ Strohm C, Selzer JA, Cochran SD, Mays V (2010). "Living apart together" relationships in the United States". Demographic Research. 21 (7): 177–214. doi:10.4054/demres.2009.21.7. PMC 3091814. PMID 21566723.
  10. ^ Milan, A., & Peters, A. (2003). Couples living apart. Canadian Social Trends, Summer, 2–6.
  11. ^ Gargan, Edward A. (19 March 2001). "China's New Brides Put Freedom First/All perks, no work in 'walking marriages'". Newsday. p. A.04.
  12. ^ Karam, Souhail (21 July 2006). "Misyar offers marriage-lite in strict Saudi society". The Boston Globe. Reuters. Archived from the original on 18 February 2009.