A note on race, ethnicity and nativity differentials in remarriage in the United States

Abstract

Abstract The objectives of this study are to produce up-to-date estimates of race/ethnic/nativity differentials for remarriage and repartnership among women in the United States and to see if these differences are due to across-group differences in demographic characteristics. First, we produce lifetable estimates of remarriage and repartnering for white, black, U.S. born Latina and foreign born Latina women. Next, we estimate race/ethnic/nativity differentials for remarriage and repartnership using event-history analysis with and without controls for demographic characteristics. The results suggest a continued overall decline in remarriage rates, while many women repartner by cohabitating. Whites are more likely than blacks or Latinas to remarry and they are also more likely to repartner. Race/ethnic/nativity differentials remain even after accounting for variations in demographic characteristics. This suggests that race/ethnic/nativity differentials in remarriage and repartnering rates, rather than ameliorating disadvantages associated with divorce, reinforce these differentials. 1. Introduction Remarriage is important for evaluating theories of social change in the family and it also has practical importance for the lives of parents and children. Ongoing research has documented the continued retreat from marriage in the United States as well as in much of Europe and Asia. Most of this research has focused on the timing of first marriage; however, research on remarriage has also provided some insights, especially in the United States where rates of divorce remain high. For example, when high rates of divorce are accompanied by high rates of remarriage, it suggests that people are not rejecting marriage as an institution, but are simply dissatisfied with their particular marriage (Spanier and Glick 1980; Thornton 1977). Additionally, remarriage can be an important life event for adults and their children. Divorce is associated with substantial declines in economic well being, especially for women and their children (Holden and Smock 1991; Smock, Manning, and Gupta 1999). Remarriage, however, can provide an additional income earner in the household and is the surest path to economic recovery after a divorce (Smock, Manning, and Gupta 1999: 807). Remarriage is associated with increases in income-to-needs ratios and household income, as well as decreases in poverty and welfare use (Smock, Manning, and Gupta 1999; Morrison and Ritualo 2000). Although remarriage can increase economic well-being especially if the marriage lasts, it can also contribute to family instability, which is associated with poorer child outcomes. Many women repartner through cohabitation and this might also have implications for their well-being as well as their children's. For example, previous research has found that, unlike remarriage, repartnering through cohabitation does not bring substantial economic benefits (Morrison and Ritualo 2000). Furthermore, given the instability of nonmarital unions, cohabitation may contribute even more to family instability than remarriage (Raley and Wildsmith 2004). Families still are the primary location for childrearing and as such the core location for social investments in children (e.g., managing children's educational experiences, providing access to health care). Consequently differentials in family experiences can ameliorate or reinforce the intergenerational transmission of inopportunity. Despite the potential relevance of remarriage for theories of social change or for studies of child well being, we know very little about recent trends and differentials in this family event (see Sweeney 2010). We know even less about differences among Latinos by nativity despite the importance of immigration for recent trends in population composition and the fact that nativity is an important source of variation in family patterns among Latinos (Oropesa and Landale 2004). The goals of this study are twofold: 1) to produce up-to-date estimates of remarriage and repartnering by race, ethnicity, and nativity (R-E-N) and 2) to explore various demographic factors that may account for variability in the pace of remarriage. …