An ongoing question remains for family researchers: Why does a positive association between cohabitation and marital dissolution exist when one of the primary reasons to cohabit is to test relationship compatibility? Drawing on recently collected data from the 20062008 National Survey of Family Growth, the authors examined whether premarital cohabitation experiences were associated with marital instability among a recent contemporary (married since 1996) marriage cohort of men (N = 1,483) and women (N = 2,003). They found that a dichotomous indicator of premarital cohabitation was in fact not associated with marital instability among women and men. Furthermore, among cohabitors, marital commitment prior to cohabitation (engagement or definite plans for marriage) was tied to lower hazards of marital instability among women, but not men. This research contributes to our understanding of cohabitation, marital instability, and broader family change.
Premarital Cohabitation and Marital Dissolution: An Examination of Recent Marriages
Creators
Wendy D. Manning - Bowling Green State University
Jessica A. Cohen - St Marys Univ, Dept Sociol, San Antonio, TX 78228 USA
Publication Details
Journal of marriage and family, v 74(2), pp 377-387
Publisher
Wiley
Number of pages
11
Grant note
R24 HD050959 / NICHD NIH HHS; United States Department of Health & Human Services; National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA; NIH Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD)
R24HD050959 / EUNICE KENNEDY SHRIVER NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CHILD HEALTH & HUMAN DEVELOPMENT; United States Department of Health & Human Services; National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA; NIH Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD)
Resource Type
Journal article
Language
English
Academic Unit
Sociology
Web of Science ID
WOS:000301648100011
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-84858632370
Other Identifier
991021862380804721
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Web of Science research areas
Family Studies
Sociology
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