Money, Marriage, and Children: Testing the Financial Expectations and Family Formation Theory
Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Survey (N = 2,954), a birth cohort study, this work examines how gains in earnings and income are associated with marriage and subsequent childbearing for low-income couples. Using change models, results indicate that positive changes in earnings, controlling for baseline levels of earnings, were associated with greater odds of marriage. Cohabiting couples who became poor were associated with a 50% decrease in marriage likelihood. Neither earnings nor income was affiliated with additional fertility. Results are consistent with the Family Formation and Financial Expectations theory, which posits that economics act as a barrier to marriage, but does not act as a barrier to subsequent childbearing.
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Related Subject Headings
- Family Studies
- 5203 Clinical and health psychology
- 5201 Applied and developmental psychology
- 4410 Sociology
- 2204 Religion and Religious Studies
- 1701 Psychology
- 1603 Demography
Citation
Published In
Publication Date
Volume
Start / End Page
Related Subject Headings
- Family Studies
- 5203 Clinical and health psychology
- 5201 Applied and developmental psychology
- 4410 Sociology
- 2204 Religion and Religious Studies
- 1701 Psychology
- 1603 Demography