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Understanding ‘Living Apart Together’ (LAT) Relationships

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Gender and Family Practices

Part of the book series: Genders and Sexualities in the Social Sciences ((GSSS))

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Abstract

Understanding the impact of social change on personal relationships and family lives has become one of the key concerns of sociology. In contemporary Chinese society, there is a growing diversity in family patterns accompanied by a marked decline in traditional pre-existing structures in relation to the patriarchal and patrilocal family system. Through the lens of ‘living apart together’ (LAT) relationships, this book seeks to examine how gender and heterosexuality structure the lived experiences of people in non-conventional partnerships. To this end, this chapter briefly discuss why the issue of LAT matters in China, followed by existing Western studies on LAT relationships. I will then shift my focus to map out the feminist methodological frameworks of this study.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    For an overview of LATs between European countries, see Ayuso (2019), Bawin-Legros and Gauthier (2001), Liefbroer et al. (2015) and Stoilova et al. (2014).

  2. 2.

    Available at: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/190220/dq190220d-eng.htm.

  3. 3.

    For more discussion about job assignments, see Bian (1994).

  4. 4.

    “Floating population” refers to migrants who stay in places different from their hukou (household registration) locations, the vast majority of whom are rural–urban migrants (NHFPC, 2012, 2016).

  5. 5.

    Available at: http://www.stats.gov.cn/ztjc/ztfx/ggkf40n/201809/t20180918_1623598.html.

  6. 6.

    According to Bauman (2003), people are now living in a world characterised as being one of precarious uncertainty, and traditional romantic relationships and communities that were seen to provide solidity and security have been liquefied by individualisation.

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    Shuang Qiu

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Qiu, S. (2022). Understanding ‘Living Apart Together’ (LAT) Relationships. In: Gender and Family Practices. Genders and Sexualities in the Social Sciences. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-17250-2_1

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