Re-partnering across the life course

It has become commonplace to note the significant shifts in people’s partnership trajectories, including the increase in union dissolutions. Unlike in earlier times when the death of a partner was the primary cause of dissolution, the prevalence of (legal) separation has increased. This rise in first union dissolutions has prompted a great deal of research into subsequent re-partnering trajectories. Opening this chapter, I briefly argue for the importance of understanding re-partnering behaviours. Subsequently, I focus primarily on one particularly vibrant area of research, namely, the exploration of disparities in re-partnering chances. I outline the theoretical arguments which frequently guide these studies (needs, attractiveness, and opportunities) and reflect on the potential sources of disparities in the empirical findings. I conclude the chapter with a short reflection on how re-partnering behaviours might change as a result of the changing ways in which people ‘do’ family and gender.