“He Doesn’t Notice That It’s Gone”: Financial and Household Management Among Childless Cohabiting Couples

<i>Childless cohabiting couples are often excluded from research related to financial and household management strategies. This qualitative study explores the unique ways in which childless cohabiting couples navigate their finances and households. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with five couples, and ten individuals total. Interviews were conducted both individually and as a couple. Interviews were analyzed using open coding, axial coding, and selective coding for shared themes. The researchers identified 6 themes: the impact of COVID-19, financial education, financial reliance on family, the intent of marriage in the future, the 50/50 ideal, and gendered household management. This study shows how childless cohabiting couples must engage in significant relational work to manage their financials and household. Based on shifting relationship ideologies and economic realities, the relational work that childless cohabiting couples engage in is distinct from the work that married couples or couples with children engage in. These findings are significant in understanding this under-researched population, informing educational and relational interventions, and provide a direction for future research.</i>