ERIC Number: EJ686630
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2004-Aug
Pages: 16
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-2445
EISSN: N/A
Children and the Stability of Cohabiting Couples
Manning, Wendy D.
Journal of Marriage and Family, v66 n3 p674-689 Aug 2004
Theory and empirical evidence generally credit children with creating stability in their parents marriages, but whether children have a similar effect on cohabiting unions has not been previously investigated in the United States. This article uses the National Survey of Family Growth N=2,716 to evaluate the effects of children on the stability of couples who cohabit. The article distinguishes between conceptions and births because the two have different implications for union stability. The results indicate that children conceived during cohabitation are associated with greater stability of their parents relationship, particularly for Whites and Latinos, whereas children conceived and born during cohabitation are not. In addition, the effect of children on couple stability depends on whether the couple is cohabiting or has transitioned into marriage.
Descriptors: Interpersonal Relationship, Racial Differences, Marital Status, Whites, Hispanic Americans, Surveys
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A