[Impact of commuting on partnership and family life. A literature review of the current state of research with special emphasis on commuter marriages].

Because of modern working conditions, for many people commuting has increasingly become a necessity with many consequences for their health as well as for their family life and partnership. To date, little research has been done concerning the impact of this modern lifestyle on partnership and family life, particularly on dual-career couples and long-distance commuters. The results of a literature review are presented based on age, sex, family cycle and consequences for children; research questions are formulated. Sex-specific differences seem to be especially important, confirming the "household responsibility hypothesis." The commuter marriage as a new lifestyle seems to have become a coping mechanism for the increasing necessity in our society to commute.