El registro estadístico de las rupturas de unión en España. Evaluación e ideas para avanzar desde la demografía

Abstract

In Spain, the formation of unions and the configuration of family units has undergone a spectacular change over the last few years; moreover the characteristics of that change have not always been visible to the eyes of the social researcher, because, amongst other reasons, of the absence of adequate data sources. In particular, the thorough ‘flexibilisation’ of unions, which have become less permanent and much easier to constitute and dissolve, poses the problem of producing appropriate mechanisms of observation and measurement. As a consequence, studying the process of union rupture becomes ever more difficult. This article reviews existing statistical sources in Spain for the study of union rupture, in order to determine how far they cover the whole population affected and to highlight their defi- ciencies. It proposes some improvements for the statistical recording of this phenomenon in Spain, based on the experience of other European countries. Our interest in develop- ing the study of union rupture in Spain, derives from questions raised in previous demo- graphic studies of the determinants and consequences of divorce