WK 2

Changes in cohabiting experience

Cohabiters more diverse Fewer cohabiters get married Cohabiters increasingly raising children together Increase in serial cohabitation

Individualized model of marriage

Emphasis on self-development, flexible roles, and open communication Couple development still important, but much less so Traditional roles of men and women became more flexible, individualized Emphasis on communication, intimacy

Influence of economic change on marriage

Nature of work Industrialization and urbanization Women entering labor force Increases in standards of living

Family/marital decline

Weakening of institution Caused by individualism Negative consequences Should strengthen institution

Who marries whom?

"People have a tendency to marry within their social group [endogamy] or to marry a person who is close to them in status [homogamy]." (Kalmijn 1998 Why? Demand Supply Interference of third parties Decline in marrying by residential proximity Increase in marrying spouse with similar level of education Tendency to marry someone with same religious background Race matters

What percentage of U.S. adults (18 years and older) are married? A.32% B.48% C.53% D.60% E.78%

53%

Percent Married, by race and gender

All people Men 55% Women 52% White Men 59% Women 55% Black Men 37% Women 30% Hispanic Men 48% Women 50% Asian Men 64% Women 62%

Percent Married, by race

All people 53% White 58% Black 35% Hispanic 49% Asian 63%

Percent Blacks Married, by income

Among black people that make less than $5k per year, 18% of those individuals are married Among black people that make between $25-$40k, 40% of those individuals are married Among black people that make between $40k-$75k per year, 59% for men and 50% for women Among black people that make more than $100k per year, 73% for men and 55% for women

Percent Asians married, by income

As income increases, a person is more likely to be married For Asians that make less than $5k per year, 30% for men and 50% for women For Asians that make between $25k-$40k per year, 62% are married For Asians that make more than$75k per year, 85% for men and 73% for women

Percent men married, by income

As income increases, percentage of men married increases. Meaning, income and marriage are positively related Men are more likely to be married than women as income increases Among men that make less than $5K per year, 30% of those individuals are married Among men that make between $25k-$40k per year, 55% of those individuals are married Among men that make more than $100K per year, 80% of those individuals are married

Percent women married, by income

As income increases, percentage of women married increases. Meaning, income and marriage are positively related Among women that make less than $5k per year, 40% of those individuals are married Among women that make between $15k-$25k, 50% of those individuals are married Among women that make more than $75k per year, roughly 65% of those individuals are married

Premarital cohabitation and divorce Summary

Cohabitation an incomplete institution Process of entry more informal and varied than process of entry into marriage Relationship between premarital cohabitation and divorce Important to acknowledge great deal of heterogeneity Cohabiters with marriage plans look similar to married couples

In comparative perspective

Compared to other countries... Greater attachment to marriage Greater government support for marriage High "marriage metabolism" More economic inequality Same-sex relationships more controversial

Marriage: Costs and benefits

Costs Wedding and reception Tax penalty for dual earner couples High risk of dissolution "Greedy" institution Benefits Survivor benefits Health benefits Form of insurance Love

Premarital cohabitation and divorce Findings

Couples who cohabit prior to marriage are more likely to get divorced But these associations have lessened over time And these associations are not caused by cohabitation Selection into cohabitation Age at which cohabitation began But cohabitation lowers overall divorce rate

Why the rise in cohabitation?

Cultural Rising individualism Secularism Economic Industrialization Women's changing roles in labor market Sexual revolution

Measuring decline

Decline or resilience? Marital quality Marital quality has remained stable over time But meaning of marriage has changed

Percent never married, by age

Diminishes as age increases For ages 18-18, 95% of them never married For ages 20-24, 70 of them never married For ages 25-29, 60% of them never married For ages 30-34, 35% of them never married For ages 35-39, 22% of them never married For ages 40-44, 18% of them never married For ages greater than 50, roughly 10% of people never married

Institutional marriage

Emphasis on male authority, duty, and conformity to social norms Husband was head of household Few rights afforded to wives (and women) Assumption that wives had same opinion as husbands

Rising Share of Never-Married Adults, Growing Gender Gap

For the last half-century, women are more likely to be married than men. 1960 Never Married Men 10% Women 8% 2012 Never Married Men 23% Women 17%

Premarital cohabitation and divorce Hypotheses

Hypotheses H1: Premarital cohabitation decreases divorce. H2: Premarital cohabitation increases divorce. H3: There is no relationship between premarital cohabitation and divorce.

Ever cohabited, by race/ethnicity (%)

In 1987 White 33% Black 35% Hispanic 30% In 1995 White 48% Black 45% Hispanic 40% In 2000 White 53% Black 55% Hispanic 52% In 2008 White 59% Black 61% Hispanic 55%

Cohabitation

Increased rapidly Relatively short-lived Race/ethnic differences SES differences Often includes children Still an evolving family form

Compared to marriage

Increasingly provide same benefits as marriage But a weak institution Fewer obstacles to ending cohabitation than marriage Less likely to be integrated into support networks Fewer benefits (e.g., health) More ambiguity

What is marriage?

Legal contract Enforceable trust Ritual Symbolic

Percent married, by age

Looks like a normal curve Among people that are between the ages of 20-24, roughly 10% of them are married Among people that are between the ages of 25 and 29, roughly 30% of them are married Among people that are between the ages of 30 and 84, roughly 60% of them are married Among people that are older than 85, roughly 30% of them are married

Companionate marriage

Marriage that emphasizes affection, friendship, and sexual gratification Importance of emotional ties Still gendered division of household labor Sometimes called specialization model

Why marry?

Marriage used to mark adult status Leaving parents' home Forming own household Economic independence from parents Regular sexual activity Having children Legitimate: sex coresidence, children Increasing symbolic importance Capstone experience

Trends in marriage

More optional More likely to be delayed/postponed Important social class and race variation Cycling in and out of marriage But majority of people end up marrying 90% of people in the United States Higher for some subgroups of the population Symbolic importance

Family/marital resilience

Not weakening, but changing Americans not individualistic Changes have few consequences Support all families

Why would we expect premarital cohabitation to decrease divorce?

Opportunity to learn about one another Strengthen bonds Increase chances for successful marriage

Education and Marriage: Shifting Patterns for Women and Men

Percentage of people never married decreases as education increases for men, but not for women For example, among men with post-graduate degree, 14% have never been married The percentage of men never married decreases as education increases Among women with a post-graduate degree, 17% have never been married. Women with more education are more likely to be never married. This is the exact opposite for men.

Why do we care about cohabitation?

Rapid increase Altered marriage patterns Increasingly a setting for bearing and rearing children Implicated in debate about the retreat from marriage and about policies to strengthen and encourage healthy marriage

Why would we expect premarital cohabitation to increase divorce?

Relationship inertia, "sliding" into cohabitation Something about the cohabitation experience Pre-existing characteristics

Cohabitation in the U.S. (millions)

The amount of cohabiting individuals in the U.S. has continually increased since the 1960s For example, in 1960, less than 500,000 people cohabited In 2010, approximately 7.5 million people cohabited