Moving in together in later life: Making spaces into places as a joint endeavor

Background and objectives: We focus on the linkages between relocation, new forms of partner cohabitation, and retirement. What are the patterns and trajectories of moving in with a partner in retirement? How do older adults experience different transitions, place attachment, and placemaking when they move in with a partner?Research design and methods: In this qualitative study, 50 persons between 60 and 75 years old were interviewed in Sweden and Germany. For this paper, we focused on nine participants who experienced a relocation with a partner in retirement. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using a strategy derived from social construc-tivist Grounded Theory and thematic analysis.Results: Research participants described experiences of several relocations and cohabitation trajectories. In particular, we identified two patterns of relocating with a partner in retirement: moving into a new place with a partner and moving into a partner's pre-existing home, the latter proving more challenging for forming place attachment and for the couple relationship. Relocation experiences appeared to form a joint process in which relationships and retirement were renegotiated.Discussion and implications: Using cross-cultural data, this novel study shows an unexpected diversity in housing and cohabitation trajectories among older adults. More research is needed to understand what aging in the right place with the right person really means and the role of life course trajectories and couple negotiations in such processes. Future research should focus on what comes before and after relocation rather than solely studying the decision-making process that leads up to a move.

Automated summary

This study focuses on relocation, new forms of partner cohabitation, and retirement. Through interviews with 50 participants aged 60 to 75 in Sweden and Germany, the study reveals unexpected diversity in housing and cohabitation trajectories among older adults. Two patterns of relocating with a partner in retirement are identified, and the process of relocation appears to involve renegotiation of relationships and retirement. The findings shed light on the meaning of aging in the right place with the right person and highlight the need for further research on life course trajectories and couple negotiations in such processes.