NETWORK ORIENTATION AND EXCLUSIVITY OF PA RTNERSHIP IN MARITAL AND NONMARITAL RELATIONSHIPS, INCLUDING BILOCAL NONMARITAL PARTNERSHIPS

The living arrangements of nonmarital cohabitation and of unmarried co uples living apart are mostly found among younger, well-educated peopl e in urban agglomerations. However, for other parts of the population as well, these living arrangements are playing an increasing role in t he course of individuals' lives. Following from their lower degree of institutionalization (compared to marriage), as well as from their com paratively shorter and more uncertain time horizon. one can suppose th at personal network orientations and support expectations in these liv ing arrangements are less exclusively oriented toward partnership and kin. The same hypothesis is supported by theories arguing that nonmari tal living arrangements are mainly due to ,,individualized'' conceptio ns of partnership. Empirical findings reported here show, on the contr ary, no genuine differences between marital relationships and nonmarit al cohabitation. However, they do confirm such presumptions for nonmar ital couples living apart insofar as the exclusiveness of partnership regarding support expectations is clearly less developed. Differences in everyday contacts, however, can be better interpreted in terms of s tatus than in terms of living arrangements.