The marriage gradient transition: Changing selection into marriage by education and income for men and women, 1940--2000

This dissertation examines the changing relationships between education, income, and marital status for men and women between 1940 and 2000, linking these changes to shifts in economic, social, and family life. The findings suggest that in the early part of period, when gender specialization in work and family life was more prevalent, high education levels impeded marriage for women. However, the relationship between education and marriage reversed as women entered the workforce in large numbers, education levels expanded, and work became a normative part of women's lives. I call this reversal of the relationship between education and marriage for women the marriage gradient transition. This transition occurred earlier for Black women than for White women, likely as a result of Black women's earlier entry into the labor force en masse and higher wages relative to Black men. While economic status became a more important determinant of women's marriage over the period, it in importance for men's marriage. This suggests that men's noneconomic characteristics, such as willingness to participate in housework and childrearing, may have become more important considerations in marriage decisions.; Overall, I find little support for the independence, marriage gradient hypotheses and some support for the male economic status hypothesis. Although these theories differ with regard to whose income or education matters in the transition to marriage, they all make a similar point---that the increasing rate of non-marriage (or age at marriage) over time is a result of the changing characteristics of the population rather than a fundamental change in the relationship between income/education and marriage. I suggest an alternative approach, which I call the "gender revolution theory." This theory suggests that the connection between economic status and marriage may have been transformed as the historical context in which young adults make decisions about marriage changed. As women's education, employment, and income patterns have become increasingly similar to men's, the relationship between economic status and marriage may become more similar for men and women. Women may also use their increased bargaining power to select marriage partners based on favorable noneconomic characteristics such as gender ideology or housework participation.