The topography of the divorce plateau

The probability of divorce in the U.S. has remained constant for the last two decades at about 'half of all marriages.' While this estimate is well established, and marked differentials in divorced rates are well known, there are no reliable estimates of differences in the cumulative probability of lifetime divorce. Using data from the 1990 June CPS, we document very large differentials by race, age at marriage, and education in the probability that recent cohorts of marriage will end in separation or divorce. Then, using data from the 1995 NSFG, we find important increases in differentials in marital dissolution, and especially in all unions, during this period of stable aggregate rates. These results indicate that examining only at marital transitions obscures the growth in family instability that has resulted among some groups because of an increasing proportion of unions begun as cohabitation.cohabitation, divorce, USA

A note on race, ethnicity and nativity differentials in remarriage in the United States

The objectives of this study are to produce up-to-date estimates of race/ethnic/nativity differentials for remarriage and repartnership among women in the United States and to see if these differences are due to across-group differences in demographic characteristics. First, we produce lifetable estimates of remarriage and repartnering for white, black, U.S. born Latina and foreign born Latina women. Next, we estimate race/ethnic/nativity differentials for remarriage and repartnership using event-history analysis with and without controls for demographic characteristics. The results suggest a continued overall decline in remarriage rates, while many women repartner by cohabitating. Whites are more likely than blacks or Latinas to remarry and they are also more likely to repartner. Race/ethnic/nativity differentials remain even after accounting for variations in demographic characteristics. This suggests that race/ethnic/nativity differentials in remarriage and repartnering rates, rather than ameliorating disadvantages associated with divorce, reinforce these differentials.cohabitation, divorce, ethnicity, nativity, remarriage

The Effects of Marriage on Psychological Well-Being Focusing on Motherhood Status Prior to Marriage

A substantial number of studies suggest that marriage provides psychological benefits for individuals. However, it is less known if the beneficial effects of marriage on psychological wellbeing vary by motherhood status prior to marriage. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 79 Cohort, we estimate the effects of marriage moderated by motherhood status on subsequent levels of psychological well-being among a sample of the initially never married women. Our results indicate that entering a first marriage is associated with greater improvements in psychological well-being for single mothers compared to childless women. The results are somewhat inconsistent with previous studies about the psychological impacts of marriage for single mothers, partly because our analysis assesses the effects of “first” marriage for “never married women” at the baseline rather than the consequence of marriage among “single women.” Nonetheless, our results suggest that single mothers benefit more from marriage than childless women do

The Composition of Schools, Social Status, and Adolescent Relationship Formation

Previous research on adults shows that blacks marry later than whites, and research on adolescents suggests that blacks delay dating (but not sex) until later ages. We hypothesize that the social factors that delay black relationship formation in adulthood are evident in adolescence. This research uses data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health to investigate the relationship between the social context of schools and adolescent romantic and sexual relationships. Preliminary results show that black adolescents are much more likely to have had a nonromantic sexual relationship, and black girls are more likely to have relationships with someone outside their school. Analyses also show that adolescents who are less popular, have lower grades, and participate less in school activities are less likely to have a relationship, particularly a relationship with another adolescent who attends the same school

What Explains Race and Ethnic Variation in Cohabitation, Marriage, Divorce, and Nonmarital Fertility?

Over the past 20 years we have made enormous strides towards understanding racial and ethnic variation in marriage, nonmarital fertility, and family stability. Particularly strong contributions include the documentation of important constraints to stable family formation imposed by male unemployment, a deeper understanding of cohabitation and the transition from informal unions to marriage, and the incorporation of more ethnic groups into the analysis, particularly Mexican Americans and Puerto Ricans, although more work in this direction is needed.In this chapter we begin by briefly reviewing previous findings on race-ethnic variation in stable union formation and nonmarital fertility. We then suggest directions for future research, structuring our discussion around the multiple dimensions of marriage. By far the majority of studies attempting to explain race-ethnic variation in family patterns have focused on the economic dimension of marriage, but recent ethnographic research suggests the importance of other dimensions as well. These include interpersonal aspects such as trust and commitment, as well as the influence of socially constructed understandings about respectable marriage. Finally, we discuss data needs to more fully explore these multiple dimensions of marriage to better understand race-ethnic variation in family patterns