zusammenlebende
Zusammenlebende describes individuals who share a dwelling and maintain a close relationship without being married or in a registered civil partnership. The term emphasizes the living arrangement rather than a fixed legal status: it can refer to romantic partners who live together, as well as other adults sharing a household in a non-marital setting. In sociological research and statistics, zusammenlebende are distinguished from married couples and from households headed by single persons, to analyze family formation, child-rearing, and living arrangements.
Legal implications of cohabitation vary by country. In many jurisdictions, cohabiting partners do not automatically acquire
Demographic trends in German-speaking regions show increasing shares of adults living with partners outside marriage, influenced
Because usage of the word zusammenlebende can vary, researchers may specify whether they mean romantic partners,