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People who live apart together (LATs) - how different are they?

Duncan, Simon
; 
Phillips, M.
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Publication Date
2010
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Keywords
Living apart together, LAT, Families, Individualisation, Family relationships, Couple relationships
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� 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation � 2010 The Editorial Board of The Sociological Review. Published by Wiley Blackwell. The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-954X.2009.01874.x
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openAccess
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Abstract
�Living apart together� (LAT)�being in an intimate relationship with a partner who lives elsewhere�is increasingly recognised and accepted as a distinct way of being a couple. On the surface, this appears far removed from the �traditional� model of coupledom, in which co?residence within marriage was central and living apart from one�s partner was viewed as abnormal or justifiable only under severe external constraints. Some commentators regard LAT as a historically new family form in which individuals can pursue a �both/and� solution to partnership: they can enjoy the intimacy of being in a couple while maintaining pre?existing commitments. LAT partners may even de?prioritise couple relationships and place greater value on friendship. Alternatively, others see LAT as merely a �stage� on the path toward cohabitation and marriage�suggesting that LATs are not radical pioneers moving beyond the family but are instead cautious, conservative, or lacking in commitment. Behind these competing interpretations lies the increasingly contested spectre of individualisation theory. Is LAT, in practice, an indicator of a developing individualisation in intimate life?
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http://hdl.handle.net/10454/4485
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Accepted manuscript
Citation
Duncan S and Phillips M (2010) People who live apart together (LATs) - how different are they? The Sociological Review. 58(1): 112-34.
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https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-954X.2009.01874.x
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