Do Unmarried Parents Expectations Predict Marital Transitions?
Author InfoMaureen Waller Sara McLanahan Abstract This paper uses newly available information from the Fragile Families and Child Well-Being Survey to investigate how unmarried mothers’ and fathers’ expectations about marriage, in addition to their socio-economic and demographic characteristics, are related to transitions to marriage in the year following their child’s birth. It also investigates factors that are associated with unmarried parents’ expectations about marriage. The results show that mothers and fathers with higher expectations about marriage at the time of their child’s birth were significantly more likely to marry between the time of the baseline and follow-up interview. After taking expectations into account, African-American mothers and fathers are less likely to marry, and parents at higher educational levels were more likely to marry, than other parents. We also find that relationship, gender, and socio-economic variables are important predictors of parents’ expecta
Author InfoMaureen Waller Sara McLanahan Abstract This paper uses newly available information from the Fragile Families and Child Well-Being Survey to investigate how unmarried mothers’ and fathers’ expectations about marriage, in addition to their socio-economic and demographic characteristics, are related to transitions to marriage in the year following their child’s birth. It also investigates factors that are associated with unmarried parents’ expectations about marriage. The results show that mothers and fathers with higher expectations about marriage at the time of their child’s birth were significantly more likely to marry between the time of the baseline and follow-up interview. After taking expectations into account, African-American mothers and fathers are less likely to marry, and parents at higher educational levels were more likely to marry, than other parents. We also find that relationship, gender, and socio-economic variables are important predictors of parents’ expecta
