Higher psychological well-being among married persons may be because of social selection in marriage or of marriage effects. Findings from approximately 9,000 persons revealed that predictive power of well-being measures remained stable throughout 2- to 4-year period. Concluded that selection may play important part in producing association…

Individual-level data from National Survey of Families and Households confirm underlying assumptions of restricted marriage market models and contradict notion that African-American women are rejecting marriage or see marriage as economically nonviable. Data suggest that marriage rates are lower among African-American women because…

Understanding attitudes toward marriage at older ages is increasingly important as young adults delay marriage and large numbers of people return to the marriage market after divorce. This study examines age differences in the desire to marry among singles age 18 to 69 years, taking into account selection into marriage. Using data drawn from the…

The rigors of university life can be demanding, especially with non-traditional students juggling multiple responsibilities such as being a student, parent, and/or spouse, and working full-time. Such responsibilities can affect couple relationships and marriages. This article reviews the research literature on divorce among postsecondary students.…

The relationship between marital status and suicide appears to be changing, especially in comparing married persons with single persons. The hypothesis that married persons have lower mean annual suicide rates than single persons was rejected by these data and in this social setting. (Author)

Used national survey data to examine gender differences in relationships of marital status and of marital quality to psychosocial well-being. Findings suggest that it is quality of marital interaction rather than marriage per se that is more important for individual well-being, and that effects of marital quality are stronger among women than…

Reviews research on premarital factors associated with later marital quality and stability in first marriages. Three major categories of factors are described, including background and context, individual traits and behaviors, and couple interactional processes. Both cross-sectional and longitudinal research are summarized. Recommendations for…

The purpose of the study was to investigate college women's were unwillingness to participate in 24 alternative marital and family forms. Data were collected through the use of anonymous questionnaires distributed in classes. The analysis revealed "One man married to two or more wives" (95.1%), "Man has "right" to sex outside of marriage"…

We draw on three waves of the Fragile Families Study (N = 2,249) to examine family stability among a recent birth cohort of children. We find that children born to cohabiting versus married parents have over five times the risk of experiencing their parents' separation. This difference in union stability is greatest for White children, as compared…

Via a simultaneous analysis of different life course pathways (marital, occupational, and childbearing histories) and different outcomes, this article addresses the question When does childlessness matter in late life and how? Survey data from Amsterdam (N = 661) and Berlin, Germany (N = 516) are used. Lifelong childlessness results in smaller…

Since the 1970s, the share of U.S. children growing up in single-parent families has doubled, a trend that has disproportionately affected disadvantaged families. Paul Amato and Rebecca Maynard argue that reversing that trend would reduce poverty in the short term and, perhaps more important, improve children's growth and development over the long…

Policies governing divorce and parenting, such as child support orders and enforcement, child custody regulations, and marital dissolution requirements, can have a large impact on the welfare of parents and children. Recent research has produced evidence on the responses of divorce rates to unilateral divorce laws and child support enforcement. In…

Discussed are (1) the aboriginal union utilized by all native tribes and designated by the American Indian's custom and (2) marriage according to white law and sanctified by all branches of the Christian Church. (NQ)

Tested the influence of birth-order complementarity on marital adjustment among 327 married women using the Spanier Dyadic Adjustment Scale (1976). Birth-order complementarity was found to be unassociated with marital adjustment. (Author/BL)

Results show: (1) demographic characteristics of those spouses where both were enrolled in school would significantly differ from the demographic characteristics of those spouses where the husband only was enrolled; (2) marital adjustment scores of the two groups would differ significantly; and (3) variables related to the marital adjustment of…