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Assortative mating among unmarried parents: Implications for ability to pay child support

Author

Listed:
  • Dana Glei

    (Office of Population Research and Center for Research on Child Wellbeing, Princeton University, 21 Prospect Avenue, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA)

  • Sara S. McLanahan

    (Bendheim Center for Research on Child Well-Being, Princeton University, 21 Prospect Avenue, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA)

  • Irwin Garfinkel

    (School of Social Work, Columbia University, 622 W. 113th Street, New York, NY 10025, USA)

Abstract

Assortative mating is of interest to both theoretical and applied social scientists. Previous research is based almost entirely on married couples and parents. In this paper we use data from the NSFG to examine assortative mating among unmarried parents in the US and to examine the robustness of estimates of nonresident fathers' income based on assortative mating assumptions. We find that never married parents are similar, though not identical, to married parents in their choice of partners. White unmarried women are much more likely to have a child with a non-white male than white married women. On the other hand, unmarried women are more likely than married women to have a child with a more educated male.

Suggested Citation

  • Dana Glei & Sara S. McLanahan & Irwin Garfinkel, 2002. "Assortative mating among unmarried parents: Implications for ability to pay child support," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 15(3), pages 417-432.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jopoec:v:15:y:2002:i:3:p:417-432
    Note: Received: 31 May 2000/Accepted: 2 January 2001
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Kate H. Choi & Sarinnapha Vasunilashorn, 2014. "Widowhood, Age Heterogamy, and Health: The Role of Selection, Marital Quality, and Health Behaviors," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 69(1), pages 123-134.
    2. Jane K. Dokko & Jessica Hayes & Geng Li, 2015. "Credit Scores and Committed Relationships," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2015-81, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    3. repec:hdl:wpaper:1402 is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Marilyn Sinkewicz & Irwin Garfinkel, 2009. "Unwed fathers’ ability to pay child support: New estimates accounting for multiple-partner fertility," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 46(2), pages 247-263, May.
    5. repec:cep:sticas:/119 is not listed on IDEAS
    6. repec:pri:crcwel:wp07-02-ff is not listed on IDEAS
    7. Morris, Stephen, 2007. "Child support awards in Britain: an analysis of data from the families and children study," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 6220, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    8. Shirley H. Liu & Frank Heiland, 2012. "Should We Get Married? The Effect Of Parents' Marriage On Out‐Of‐Wedlock Children," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 50(1), pages 17-38, January.
    9. Annemie Nys & Leen Meeusen & Vincent Corluy, 2016. "Who cares? A Counterfactual Analysis of Household Work Intensity in Households with Disabled Family Members," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 128(2), pages 675-691, September.
    10. Stephen Morris, 2007. "Child Support Awards in Britain: An analysis of data from the Families and Children Study," CASE Papers case119, Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion, LSE.

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