Is getting hitched on the horizon? Examining predictors of cohabitation and early marriage in emerging adulthood

Abstract

This study analyzes different factors predicting both cohabitation and early marriage among emerging adults. Using a large ( n = 1,510), national, longitudinal sample of emerging adults in the United States, predictors of cohabitation and early marriage were examined. Predictors included marital paradigms (marital salience and expected age of marriage) and sociodemographic characteristics (religious attendance, parents’ marital status, parents’ education, college attendance, income, gender, and race). We utilized a Cox proportional hazards model to run the analyses. Results showed that marital paradigms were the most consistent predictors of early marriage, while few sociodemographic factors were significant. On the other hand, cohabitation was most consistently predicted by sociodemographic factors, with no associations being significant with marital paradigms. These findings suggest that decisions to marry and cohabit may not be as closely interconnected as previously conceptualized. Future directions and limitations are also discussed.