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Active-duty military service, cohabiting unions, and the transition to marriage

Author

Listed:
  • Megan Lemmon

    (Western Washington University)

  • Mira Whyman

    (Western Washington University)

  • Jay Teachman

    (Western Washington University)

Abstract

A small but growing body of research has begun to identify the consequences of military service during the all-voluntary era. In this article, we examine the relationship between military service and the likelihood that cohabiting unions will be converted into marriages. Our paper extends previous research by making a distinction between the effects of active-duty verses reserve-duty service on the transition to marriage using data from the 1979-2004 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY). Our findings indicate that there is a positive relationship between active-duty service and cohabitors transitioning to marriage.

Suggested Citation

  • Megan Lemmon & Mira Whyman & Jay Teachman, 2009. "Active-duty military service, cohabiting unions, and the transition to marriage," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 20(10), pages 195-208.
    • Handle: RePEc:dem:demres:v:20:y:2009:i:10
    DOI: 10.4054/DemRes.2009.20.10
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Daniel Lichter & Zhenchao Qian & Leanna Mellott, 2006. "Marriage or dissolution? Union transitions among poor cohabiting women," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 43(2), pages 223-240, May.
    2. Gary S. Becker, 1981. "A Treatise on the Family," NBER Books, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc, number beck81-1.
    3. Angrist, Joshua D, 1990. "Lifetime Earnings and the Vietnam Era Draft Lottery: Evidence from Social Security Administrative Records: Errata," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 80(5), pages 1284-1286, December.
    4. Angrist, Joshua D, 1990. "Lifetime Earnings and the Vietnam Era Draft Lottery: Evidence from Social Security Administrative Records," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 80(3), pages 313-336, June.
    5. Valerie Oppenheimer & Matthijs Kalmijn & Nelson Lim, 1997. "Men’s career development and marriage timing during a period of rising inequality," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 34(3), pages 311-330, August.
    6. Jay Teachman, 2007. "Race, military service, and marital timing: Evidence from the NLSY-79," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 44(2), pages 389-404, May.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    cohabitation; marriage; active-duty military service; union transitions;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics
    • Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General

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