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Marital stability throughout the child-rearing years
1Department of Sociology, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602.
Demography
|February 1, 1990
Summary
Marital stability increases with family size up to three children, then declines with five or more. Children aging into adulthood significantly improves marital stability.
Area of Science:
- Sociology
- Demography
- Family Studies
Background:
- Limited research systematically examines marital disruption risk across child-rearing years.
- Existing evidence suggests child number and age impact marital stability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically analyze how the number and ages of children affect marital stability throughout child-rearing.
- To identify specific child-related factors influencing marital disruption risk over time.
Main Methods:
- Utilized marital and fertility histories from the June 1985 Current Population Survey.
- Employed continuous-time regression models with time-varying covariates for children's ages and numbers.
- Controlled for age at marriage, year of marriage, education, and marital duration.
Main Results:
- Marital stability generally increases with family size up to the third child.
- Stability begins to decrease when family size reaches five or more children.
- Marital disruption risk is elevated until the youngest child reaches adulthood, after which stability significantly increases.
Conclusions:
- The arrival and aging of children represent a critical dynamic influencing marital stability.
- Family size and the developmental stages of children are key factors in marital longevity.
- Understanding these dynamics is crucial for family and relationship research.
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