LAT Relationships
Sociology: AQA A Level, topic 4.2.3
Living Apart Together Relationship (LATs)
LATs are those where couples are in a long-term relationship but choose to live in separate households.
What are LATs?
- LATs are unburdened by the structural commitments of married or cohabiting relationships, such as financial commitments and legal entanglements.
- Levin regards LATs as a new form of family, an alternative to marriage or cohabitation which challenges the traditional concept of the nuclear family.
Growth of LATs
- The growth in LATs arises through changes in social norms, similar to those related to divorce, the decline of marriage and the rise in cohabitation.
- LATs conform to Giddens' ‘pure relationship’, based on self-interest and emotional needs.
Why people choose LATs
- Levin has proposed three reasons why people might actively choose LATs instead of marriage or cohabitation:
- There may be existing responsibilities for other people, such as children living at home or elderly relatives.
Practical reasons
- Why people choose LATs (Levin):
- Practical reasons: Couples (or ‘apartners’) may work or study in different places or may fear losing memories attached to their former homes.
Risk
- Why people choose LATs (Levin):
- Apartners might want to avoid the risk of re-creating the conditions that led to the break-up of a former relationship.
Test yourself on LAT Relationships
What does LAT stand for in relation to relationships?