Stepfamily Couples in Spain: An Emerging Phenomenon with Heterogeneous Profi les

Abstract

This paper examines the demographic profi le of couples in reconstituted
nuclei with at least one child under 18 in Spain. In the last decade there has
been an increase in these nuclei that is largely explained by the presence of
couples of immigrant and mixed immigrant-Spanish origin. In addition to
national origin, three other characteristics of these couples stand out: high
rates of cohabitation, age difference between members of the couple and
economic precariousness. However, our analysis reveals large heterogeneity
in their profi les, mainly differentiated by the presence or absence of shared
children as well as the sex and nationality of the parent who brings children
into the relationship. We also fi nd that the most important determinant in the
decision to have a child in common in a reconstituted relationship is the
number of non-common children, being much less important which parent
brought them into the reconstituted family.