Re-partnering and fertility

Abstract European divorce rates have been rising since the 1970s. Concurrently, as more couples choose cohabitation over marriage, there has also been an increase in separations among cohabiting partners. Nearly 50% of separated individuals form new relationships within five years. These trends may have important implications for fertility research. Are re-partnered women more likely to continue having children than women who have never separated? Do re-partnered women approach fertility decisions differently? Does re-partnering help recover the births 'lost' due to separation? To address these questions, we utilise longitudinal data from 2004 to 2018 across 32 European countries, employing probit models for our analysis. We find that women in higher-order unions are, on average, more likely to have an additional child compared to those who already have children with their current partner. The former group appears less burdened by having more or older children and is less influenced by family income. Predictions from our models indicate that births lost due to union dissolution can only be recovered when re-partnering occurs relatively quickly.