Men and Marriage Promotion: Who Marries Unwed Mothers?

Abstract

This study expands upon current debates about marriage promotion by refocusing attention on men. The 2002 National Survey of Family Growth provides the first comprehensive data on detailed fertility and marital histories for men of reproductive age. These data are used to address the straightforward but neglected question of who typically marries unwed mothers. Analyses show that over 80 percent of men will marry by midlife but that men’s prior fertility, marital, and economic histories are critically linked to when and with whom they eventually form married families. Unwed fathers and those with few economic resources are more likely than other men to marry unwed mothers. The study provides a point of departure for understanding men’s marriages to low‐income, unwed mothers and for identifying a major barrier to policies that encourage marriage among the poor.