Department of Sociology, California Center for Population Research, University of California, Los Angeles, 264 Haines Hall, Los Angeles, CA 90095 (msweeney@soc.ucla.edu).
1741-3737/asset/JOMF_left.gif?v=1&s=36c39db4e4de200b740ac070b956ceca980bc40c)
1741-3737/asset/JOMF_right.gif?v=1&s=ef008f55c93d3cedf431b5096fc43ca46fe51ad9)
Premarital cohabitation and marital disruption among white, black, and Mexican American women
Article first published online: 15 APR 2005
DOI: 10.1111/j.0022-2445.2005.00117.x
Additional Information
How to Cite
Phillips , J. A. and Sweeney, M. M. (2005), Premarital cohabitation and marital disruption among white, black, and Mexican American women. Journal of Marriage and Family, 67: 296–314. doi: 10.1111/j.0022-2445.2005.00117.x
Authors names are listed alphabetically; each author contributed equally to this manuscript.
Publication History
- Issue published online: 15 APR 2005
- Article first published online: 15 APR 2005
- Abstract
- Article
- References
- Cited By
Keywords:
- cohabitation;
- divorce;
- race/ethnicity
We use data from the 1995 National Survey of Family Growth (N = 4,547) to investigate racial and ethnic differences in risk factors for marital disruption, with a particular emphasis on premarital cohabitation. We find that the nature and strength of the estimated effects of several risk factors for disruption differ across groups. In particular, premarital cohabitation is positively associated with subsequent marital disruption among non-Hispanic White women but not among non-Hispanic Black or Mexican American women. Little of the observed gaps between groups in levels of disruption, however, appears to be attributable to differences in premarital cohabitation. In addition to improving our understanding of marital disruption, this research contributes to a growing literature emphasizing heterogeneity across groups in the meaning and function of cohabitation.