Mate Selection Among Married and Cohabiting Couples

Abstract

This article examines comparative patterns of educational and racial assortative mating or homogamy among married and cohabiting couples and evaluates whether women and men trade in socioeconomic status and racial caste prestige. The 1990 decennial census identifies for the first time individuals in cohabiting relationships. Log-linear models of partner cross-classified data provide several conclusions. First, married and cohabiting couples are highly homogamous with respect to race and education. Second, cohabiting couples are less homogamous than married couples. Third, cohabiting women are less likely than married women to be living with partners with greater education than themselves. Fourth, racially homogamous unions tend to be educationally homogamous and vice versa. Fifth, heterogamous marriages (but not cohabitors) suggest spousal trades: high education in one spouse is associated with higher color status in another. We conclude that research can no longer ignore the qualitatively different mate selection processes of cohabiting couples.