IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/poprpr/v35y2016i3d10.1007_s11113-016-9392-2.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Pathways to a Stable Union? Pregnancy and Childbearing Among Cohabiting and Married Couples

Author

Listed:
  • Daniel T. Lichter

    (Cornell University)

  • Katherine Michelmore

    (Syracuse University)

  • Richard N. Turner

    (Mississippi State University)

  • Sharon Sassler

    (Cornell University)

Abstract

This study analyzes the stability of cohabiting and marital unions following a first birth. But unlike previous research, it compares the subsequent trajectories of unions that began with a pregnancy to those in which conceptions came after coresidence. The U.S. data from the 2006–2010 and 2011–2013 cross-sectional files of the National Survey of Family Growth indicate that roughly 1-in-5 first births were associated with rapid transitions from conception into either cohabitation or marriage. Moving in together following a pregnancy—especially an unintended one—is unlikely to lead to marital success or union stability. Compared with marital unions, dissolution rates following birth were particularly high for couples who entered a cohabiting union following conception. Only a small minority of these couples married (i.e., less than one-third), and these marriages experienced high dissolution rates. The results also suggest that the most committed cohabiting couples got married after finding themselves pregnant, leaving behind the most dissolution-prone cohabiting couples. The American family system is being transformed by newly emerging patterns of fertility among cohabiting couples.

Suggested Citation

  • Daniel T. Lichter & Katherine Michelmore & Richard N. Turner & Sharon Sassler, 2016. "Pathways to a Stable Union? Pregnancy and Childbearing Among Cohabiting and Married Couples," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 35(3), pages 377-399, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:poprpr:v:35:y:2016:i:3:d:10.1007_s11113-016-9392-2
    DOI: 10.1007/s11113-016-9392-2
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11113-016-9392-2
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11113-016-9392-2?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Fiona Steele & Constantinos Kallis & Harvey Goldstein & Heather Joshi, 2005. "The relationship between childbearing and transitions from marriage and cohabitation in Britain," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 42(4), pages 647-673, November.
    2. Jan M. Hoem & Michaela Kreyenfeld, 2006. "Anticipatory analysis and its alternatives in life-course research," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 15(16), pages 461-484.
    3. Christina Gibson-Davis, 2014. "Magic Moment? Maternal Marriage for Children Born Out of Wedlock," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 51(4), pages 1345-1356, August.
    4. Hill Kulu & Paul Boyle, 2010. "Premarital cohabitation and divorce: Support for the "Trial Marriage" Theory?," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 23(31), pages 879-904.
    5. Brienna Perelli-Harris & Michaela Kreyenfeld & Wendy Sigle-Rushton & Renske Keizer & Trude Lappegård & Aiva Jasilioniene & Caroline Berghammer & Paola Di Giulio, 2012. "Changes in union status during the transition to parenthood in eleven European countries, 1970s to early 2000s," Population Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 66(2), pages 167-182, July.
    6. Kelly Musick & Katherine Michelmore, 2015. "Change in the Stability of Marital and Cohabiting Unions Following the Birth of a Child," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 52(5), pages 1463-1485, October.
    7. Jan M. Hoem & Michaela R. Kreyenfeld, 2006. "Anticipatory analysis and its alternatives in life-course research. Part 1: Education and first childbearing," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2006-006, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    8. Daniel Lichter & Zhenchao Qian & Leanna Mellott, 2006. "Marriage or dissolution? Union transitions among poor cohabiting women," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 43(2), pages 223-240, May.
    9. Daniel Lichter, 2013. "Integration or Fragmentation? Racial Diversity and the American Future," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 50(2), pages 359-391, April.
    10. Jennifer Manlove & Elizabeth Wildsmith & Erum Ikramullah & Suzanne Ryan & Emily Holcombe & Mindy Scott & Kristen Peterson, 2012. "Union Transitions Following the Birth of a Child to Cohabiting Parents," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 31(3), pages 361-386, June.
    11. Susan Brown & Wendy Manning, 2009. "Family boundary ambiguity and the measurement of family structure: the significance of cohabitation," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 46(1), pages 85-101, February.
    12. Paula England & Emily Fitzgibbons Shafer & Lawrence Wu, 2012. "Premarital conceptions, postconception ("shotgun") marriages, and premarital first births," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 27(6), pages 153-166.
    13. Lawrence Wu & Kelly Musick, 2008. "Stability of Marital and Cohabiting Unions Following a First Birth," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 27(6), pages 713-727, December.
    14. Jessica Su & Rachel Dunifon & Sharon Sassler, 2015. "Better for Baby? The Retreat From Mid-Pregnancy Marriage and Implications for Parenting and Child Well-being," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 52(4), pages 1167-1194, August.
    15. Lee Lillard & Michael Brien & Linda Waite, 1995. "Premarital cohabitation and subsequent marital," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 32(3), pages 437-457, August.
    16. Jan M. Hoem & Michaela R. Kreyenfeld, 2006. "Anticipatory analysis and its alternatives in life-course research. Part 2: Marriage and first birth," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2006-007, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    17. Jan M. Hoem & Michaela Kreyenfeld, 2006. "Anticipatory analysis and its alternatives in life-course research," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 15(17), pages 485-498.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Zhenchao Qian & Daniel T. Lichter, 2018. "Marriage Markets and Intermarriage: Exchange in First Marriages and Remarriages," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 55(3), pages 849-875, June.
    2. Emily Parker, 2021. "Gender Differences in the Marital Plans and Union Transitions of First Cohabitations," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 40(4), pages 673-694, August.
    3. Marissa Landeis & Wendy D. Manning & Monica A. Longmore & Peggy C. Giordano & Kara Joyner, 2021. "The Relationship Context of Early Transitions to Parenthood: The Influence of Arrest," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 40(4), pages 723-746, August.
    4. Maurice Anyawie & Wendy Manning, 2019. "Cohabitation and Contraceptive Use in the United States: A Focus on Race and Ethnicity," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 38(3), pages 307-325, June.
    5. Elizabeth Thomson & Maria Winkler-Dworak & Éva Beaujouan, 2019. "Contribution of the Rise in Cohabiting Parenthood to Family Instability: Cohort Change in Italy, Great Britain, and Scandinavia," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 56(6), pages 2063-2082, December.
    6. Zafer Buyukkececi, 2021. "Does Re-Partnering Behavior Spread Among Former Spouses?," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 37(4), pages 799-824, November.
    7. Christina Gibson-Davis & Anna Gassman-Pines & Rebecca Lehrman, 2018. "“His” and “Hers”: Meeting the Economic Bar to Marriage," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 55(6), pages 2321-2343, December.
    8. Esther O. Lamidi & Wendy D. Manning & Susan L. Brown, 2019. "Change in the Stability of First Premarital Cohabitation Among Women in the United States, 1983–2013," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 56(2), pages 427-450, April.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Roberto Impicciatore & Gianpiero Dalla Zuanna, 2017. "The impact of education on fertility in Italy. Changes across cohorts and south–north differences," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 51(5), pages 2293-2317, September.
    2. Jarl E. Mooyaart & Aart C. Liefbroer, 2016. "The Influence of Parental Education on Timing and Type of Union Formation: Changes Over the Life Course and Over Time in the Netherlands," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 53(4), pages 885-919, August.
    3. David Clifford, 2009. "Spousal separation, selectivity and contextual effects: exploring the relationship between international labour migration and fertility in post-Soviet Tajikistan," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 21(32), pages 945-975.
    4. Kelly Musick & Katherine Michelmore, 2018. "Cross-National Comparisons of Union Stability in Cohabiting and Married Families With Children," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 55(4), pages 1389-1421, August.
    5. Hill Kulu & Fiona Steele, 2013. "Interrelationships Between Childbearing and Housing Transitions in the Family Life Course," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 50(5), pages 1687-1714, October.
    6. Daniele Vignoli & Irene Ferro, 2009. "Rising marital disruption in Italy and its correlates," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 20(4), pages 11-36.
    7. Judith C. Koops & Aart C. Liefbroer & Anne H. Gauthier, 2017. "The Influence of Parental Educational Attainment on the Partnership Context at First Birth in 16 Western Societies," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 33(4), pages 533-557, October.
    8. Cordula Zabel, 2009. "Do imputed education histories provide satisfactory results in fertility analysis in the Western German context?," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 21(6), pages 135-176.
    9. Zuzanna Brzozowska & Eva Beaujouan & Kryštof Zeman, 2022. "Is Two Still Best? Change in Parity-Specific Fertility Across Education in Low-Fertility Countries," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 41(5), pages 2085-2114, October.
    10. Nadja Milewski, 2010. "Immigrant fertility in West Germany: Is there a socialization effect in transitions to second and third births? [Fécondité des immigrées en Allemagne de l’Ouest: existe-t-il un effet de la socializ," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 26(3), pages 297-323, August.
    11. Christine Schnor, 2014. "The Effect of Union Status at First Childbirth on Union Stability: Evidence from Eastern and Western Germany," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 30(2), pages 129-160, May.
    12. Jona Schellekens & David Gliksberg, 2018. "The Decline in Marriage in Israel, 1960–2007: Period or Cohort Effect?," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 34(1), pages 119-142, February.
    13. Ermisch, John & Steele, Fiona, 2016. "Fertility expectations and residential mobility in Britain," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 68878, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    14. Cornelia Muresan & Jan M. Hoem, 2010. "The negative educational gradients in Romanian fertility," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 22(4), pages 95-114.
    15. Dorothea Rieck, 2006. "Transition to second birth - the case of Russia," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2006-036, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    16. Martin Klesment & Allan Puur & Leen Rahnu & Luule Sakkeus, 2014. "Varying association between education and second births in Europe," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 31(27), pages 813-860.
    17. Eleonora Mussino & Alyson A. van Raalte, 2008. "Fertility of migrants: a comparative study between Italy and Russia," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2008-026, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    18. Setsuya Fukuda, 2009. "Shifting economic foundation of marriage in Japan: the erosion of traditional marriage," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2009-033, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    19. Cornelia Mureşan & Jan M. Hoem, 2009. "The negative educational gradients in Romanian fertility," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2009-019, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    20. Judith C. Koops & Aart C. Liefbroer & Anne H. Gauthier, 2021. "Socio-Economic Differences in the Prevalence of Single Motherhood in North America and Europe," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 37(4), pages 825-849, November.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kap:poprpr:v:35:y:2016:i:3:d:10.1007_s11113-016-9392-2. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.