The many varieties of unions: non-cohabiting partnerships, same-sex couples, civil unions... and more

In early 2011, 32 million people of legal age in metropolitan France stated that they were living in a union: 72% were married and living in the same dwelling as their opposite-sex spouse; 7 million were in a consensual union, and 1.4 million had formed a civil union (PACS) with their partner. Among the adults living in a union, 4% noted that their partner was not living with them. More than half of the respondents in this category were under 30 years old. Between ages 30 and 59, one in ten persons living in a union does not live with his or her partner when they do not have a child in common. Non-cohabitation mainly concerns people living in consensual unions. Two hundred thousand people are living in same-sex unions, including 16% with a partner who does not live in the same dwelling. Six out of ten are men. Forty-three percent of these same-sex partnerships are civil unions, a proportion that rises to 55% after age 35. Approximately 10% report living at least part-time with a child, generally born before the current union was formed. Most respondents in this category are women.