NON-MARITAL COHABITATION AND CHANGE IN NORMS - THE CASE OF NORWAY

Norms and sanctions regulating the sexual behavior of the unmarried ha ve changed in many societies in recent decades, such that significant numbers of the population, expecially although not exclusively among t he young, live together openly as unmarried partners. A transition per iod, characterized by high rates of premarital pregnancies, lasted lon ger in Norway than in neighboring countries. Below it is suggested tha t the source of the delay may be found in a cleavage in Norway's socia l structure. In some regions of the country a pietistic attitude domin ated, in others a liberal attitude. This was a major axis of Norwegian politics from the end of the nineteenth century until well into the t wentieth. Acts of Parliament swung from severe punishment of 'concubin age', as it was called, to remarkably early laws providing public supp ort when needed for unwed mothers and their children. Punitive sanctio ns against illegitimacy were enforced only for a brief period, althoug h the law remained on the statute books until the 1970s. The signals s ent to the population were sufficiently mixed as to create a condition of pluralistic ignorance, inducing more conformity to strict sexual b ehavior than occurred elsewhere. The most recent investigations provid e convincing evidence to support the contention that non-marital cohab itation has now become a civil status accepted by all.