'You'd Better Wait!'--Socio-economic Background and Timing of First Marriage versus First Cohabitation

Abstract

Whereas there is a well-developed literature on socio-economic inequalities in timing of first marriage, most research on the association between socio-economic family background and union timing misses out on unmarried cohabitation. Using a rich Norwegian dataset linking survey data and administrative registers (N=6,317), this article examines the impact of parents' education and economic resources on timing of first union among men and women entering their first cohabitation or marriage between 1970 and 2002. Discrete-time multinomial logistic regression models reveal that timing of first cohabitation was more rapid among persons with lower educated parents, while direct entrance into marriage was delayed by growing up in a wealthier childhood home. These findings are discussed within a theoretical framework stressing intergenerational transfer of preferences and parents' abilities to sanction children's first union formation. Additionally, the delaying effects of socio-economic background could stem from individuals' rational search behaviour.