Stratification in American Family: Single, Cohabiting, or Married at the Birth of a First Child

Anna Cunningham, Ohio State University

Although marriage is still viewed as the ideal entrée to parenthood among most young adults, a substantial share of the population forms families outside of marital unions. The percentage of those born to single parents or unmarried cohabiting parents raises questions about the present state and future trajectory of American families. In this study I examine the relationship contexts of never married women’s first conceptions, and their subsequent union transitions following a first non-marital pregnancy. My results suggest that cohabitation is beginning to play a prominent role in the stratification of the American family. While college educated White women mostly follow the traditional pathway of marriage followed by childbearing, less educated Whites are increasingly having children while cohabiting. On the other hand, Black women increasingly have children outside of any co-residential arrangement. Indeed, rapid social change has a profound effect on women’s union choice and timing of childbearing

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Presented in Session 196: Social Change and Family Change