Marriage and cohabitation in the United States: the effects of union type on relationship quality.

Using national dyadic data from the 2010 Married and Cohabiting Couples (MCC) survey, I examine the effects on relationship quality of union type: “direct marriage”, “marriage after cohabiting”, “cohabitation with plans to marry”, “cohabitation with no marriage plan”. In addition, I examine whether these effects are different for men and women. Consistent with prior research, I found that cohabitors without plans to marry report the lowest levels of relationship quality and those who married directly report the highest levels of relationship quality. Also consistent with prior research, I find no gendered differences in the effect of union type on relationship quality for those who are married. However, in cohabiting union, the effects of union type on relationship quality are stronger for women than for men. This study adds to the growing literature by showing that the effects of union type on relationship quality are gendered for cohabiting relationships

Social Mobility: College Students\u27 Awareness of Social Class Reproduction

In this study, I examined Eastern Kentucky University students’ awareness of socioeconomic reproduction and various contributing variables. To obtain data, I surveyed students on their education, career, and income goals as well as their parents’ education and income. I also questioned the about their socioeconomic class growing up and their opinions on several statements regarding causes of social mobility. I then used SPSS to run OLS regression and t-tests to analyze the data. I found that students’ education and income goals had no significant correlation with parent educational obtainment and current income. I also found that most students did not believe in the American dream, that individuals can easily move up the social ladder through hard work and determination. These two findings were contradictory given that the education and income goals reported by students far surpassed their parents’. Overall, this study led me to the further questions of whether social immobility is an unconscious occurrence and when the cycle of socioeconomic reproduction actually begins.https://encompass.eku.edu/swps_undergraduategallery/1223/thumbnail.jp