‘A family affair: the role of intergenerational norm transfer in shaping finances in adult relationships’

ABSTRACT

This article analyses the rationales of individuals for their financial behaviour in adult relationships, drawing on data from qualitative interviews. In terms of what happens to assets upon relationship breakdown, policy-makers continue to support a distinction between married and cohabiting couples. Assumptions around ‘legal rationality’ centre on a notion that, having chosen to formalise their relationship (or not) based on the legal implications, married couples will also ultimately opt for greater financial ‘jointness’. This article presents a different perspective, arguing that it is not relationship form that predominantly influences peoples’ approaches to finances. Instead, there are other, under-recognised factors that structure their behaviour. These can be represented by significant milestones, such as moving in/purchasing a property together, or having a child. Adopting a ‘relational’ lens, the article also identifies the role of individuals’ parents in affecting their behaviour, contending that people carry into their adult relationships the marks of their parents’ relationships with finances. Having observed their parents’ behaviour, some participants replicated the practices and principles of their financial ‘models’, while others sought to avoid this. In both cases, contrary to assumptions about ‘legal rationality’, participants were more strongly influenced by their childhood experiences than by their relationship’s legal status.

KEYWORDS:

• Marriage and cohabitation
• couple finances
• financial behaviour and attitudes
• parental influence

Acknowledgments

I am grateful to the Socio-legal Studies Association for providing me with a small grant to conduct the empirical work discussed in this paper. I am also grateful to Diana Barbut for her research assistance, and to Rosie Harding, Karen McAuliffe, Mairead Enright, Atina Krajewska, Samantha Davey, Rachel Treloar, Jo Miles, Sharon Thompson, Andy Hayward and the anonymous reviewer for their extremely helpful comments on earlier drafts.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. All names are pseudonyms.

2. Although I refer in this article to ‘marriage’, this should generally be taken to include civil partnership.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Socio-Legal Studies Association.