View Item 

Show simple item record

Classed Pathways to Marriage: Hometown Ties, College Networks, and Life after Graduation
dc.contributor.authorArmstrong, Elizabeth A.
dc.contributor.authorHamilton, Laura T.
dc.date.accessioned2021-07-01T20:14:52Z
dc.date.available2022-09-01 16:14:51en
dc.date.available2021-07-01T20:14:52Z
dc.date.issued2021-08
dc.identifier.citationArmstrong, Elizabeth A.; Hamilton, Laura T. (2021). "Classed Pathways to Marriage: Hometown Ties, College Networks, and Life after Graduation." Journal of Marriage and Family 83(4): 1004-1019.
dc.identifier.issn0022-2445
dc.identifier.issn1741-3737
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/168384
dc.description.abstractObjectiveThis article identifies mechanisms through which social class background shapes the marital outcomes of college‐going white American women.BackgroundScholars are interested in the relative influences of ascriptive and achieved characteristics on mate selection. Research indicates that social class background continues to influence the marriage patterns of college‐educated Americans but does not identify the mechanisms through which this occurs.MethodThe study analyzes six waves of longitudinal interviews with 45 women from differing social class backgrounds. The first interview was conducted at age 18, when women started college at a Midwestern public university. The final interview was collected at age 30 and was supplemented by a survey collecting the income, education, occupation, and debt of women and their spouses.ResultsWomen from privileged backgrounds were more likely to marry and married men who earned substantially more than the partners of less privileged women. Differences resulted from lifelong variation in social networks, originating in childhood. College did not interrupt long‐standing exclusionary class networks. After graduation, social class background shaped where women moved, as well as with whom they worked and socialized.ConclusionHigher education in the contemporary United States may reinforce rather than interrupt class homogamy in marriage, even when students attend the same schools. The role of higher education in shaping classed social networks is in need of further study.
dc.publisherWiley Subscription Services, Inc.
dc.subject.otherWomen
dc.subject.otherMate Selection
dc.subject.otherSocial Class
dc.subject.otherMarriage
dc.subject.otherEducation
dc.subject.otherLongitudinal Research
dc.titleClassed Pathways to Marriage: Hometown Ties, College Networks, and Life after Graduation
dc.typeArticle
dc.rights.robotsIndexNoFollow
dc.subject.hlbsecondlevelFamily Medicine and Specialties
dc.subject.hlbsecondlevelPsychiatry
dc.subject.hlbtoplevelHealth Sciences
dc.description.peerreviewedPeer Reviewed
dc.description.bitstreamurlhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/168384/1/jomf12747.pdf
dc.description.bitstreamurlhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/168384/2/jomf12747_am.pdf
dc.identifier.doi10.1111/jomf.12747
dc.identifier.sourceJournal of Marriage and Family
dc.identifier.citedreferencePayne, K. K. ( 2012 ). Median age at first marriage, 2010 (FP‐12‐07). In National Center for Family & Marriage Research. https://www.bgsu.edu/content/dam/BGSU/college‐of‐arts‐and‐sciences/NCFMR/documents/FP/payne‐median‐age‐first‐marriage‐FP‐19‐06.pdf
dc.identifier.citedreferenceLichter, D., Price, J. P., & Swigert, J. M. ( 2020 ). Mismatches in the marriage market. Journal of Marriage and Family, 82, 796 – 809. https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12603
dc.identifier.citedreferenceLudwig, V., & Brüderl, J. ( 2018 ). Is there a male marital wage premium? New evidence from the United States. American Sociological Review, 83, 744 – 770. https://doi.org/10.1177/0003122418784909
dc.identifier.citedreferenceMcPherson, M., Smith‐Lovin, L., & Cook, J. M. ( 2001 ). Birds of a feather: Homophily in social networks. Annual Review of Sociology, 27, 415 – 444. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.soc.27.1.415
dc.identifier.citedreferenceMusick, K., Brand, J. E., & Davis, D. ( 2012 ). Variation in the relationship between education and marriage: Marriage market mismatch? Journal of Marriage and Family, 74, 53 – 69. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741‐3737.2011.00879.x
dc.identifier.citedreferenceNielsen, H. S., & Svarer, M. ( 2009 ). Educational homogamy: How much is opportunities? Journal of Human Resources, 44, 1066 – 1086. https://www.jstor.org/stable/20648931
dc.identifier.citedreferenceOstrander, S. ( 1984 ). Women of the upper class. Temple University Press.
dc.identifier.citedreferencePark, J. J., & Kim, Y. K. ( 2013 ). Interracial friendship and structural diversity: Trends for Greek, religious, and ethnic student organizations. Review of Higher Education, 37, 1 – 24. https://doi.org/10.1353/rhe.2013.0061
dc.identifier.citedreferenceQian, Z., & Lichter, D. T. ( 2011 ). Changing patterns of interracial marriage in a multiracial society. Journal of Marriage and Family, 73, 1065 – 1084. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741‐3737.2011.00866.x
dc.identifier.citedreferenceRivera, L. A. ( 2015 ). Pedigree: How Elite Students Get Elite Jobs. Princeton University.
dc.identifier.citedreferenceRivera, M. T., Soderstrom, S. B., & Uzzi, B. ( 2010 ). Dynamics of dyads in social networks: Assortative, relational, and proximity mechanisms. Annual Review of Sociology, 36, 91 – 115. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.soc.34.040507.134743
dc.identifier.citedreferenceRobnett, B., & Feliciano, C. ( 2011 ). Patterns of racial‐ethnic exclusion by internet daters. Social Forces, 89, 807 – 828. https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/89.3.807
dc.identifier.citedreferenceRosenfeld, M. J. ( 2009 ). The age of independence: Interracial unions, same‐sex unions, and the changing American family. Harvard University Press.
dc.identifier.citedreferenceRosenfeld, M. J., & Thomas, R. J. ( 2012 ). Searching for a mate: The rise of the internet as a social intermediary. American Sociological Review, 77, 523 – 547. https://doi.org/10.1177/0003122412448050
dc.identifier.citedreferenceSchwartz, C. R. ( 2013 ). Trends and variation in Assortative mating: Causes and consequences. Annual Review of Sociology, 39, 451 – 470. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev‐soc‐071312‐145544
dc.identifier.citedreferenceScott, J. F. ( 1965 ). The American college sorority: Its role in class and ethnic endogamy. American Sociological Review, 30, 514 – 527. https://doi.org/10.2307/2091341
dc.identifier.citedreferenceSmall, M. ( 2009 ). Unanticipated gains: Origins of network inequality in everyday life. Oxford University Press.
dc.identifier.citedreferenceSmall, M. L., & Adler, L. ( 2019 ). The role of space in the formation of social ties. Annual Review of Sociology, 45, 111 – 132. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev‐soc‐073018‐022707
dc.identifier.citedreferenceSmock, P. J., & Schwartz, C. R. ( 2020 ). The demography of families: A review of patterns and change. Journal of Marriage and Family, 82, 9 – 34. https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12612
dc.identifier.citedreferenceStephens, N. M., Hamedani, M. G., & Destin, M. ( 2014 ). Closing the social‐class achievement gap: A difference‐education intervention. Psychological Science, 25, 943 – 953. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797613518349
dc.identifier.citedreferenceTorche, F. ( 2011 ). Is a college degree still the great equalizer?: Intergenerational mobility across levels of schooling in the United States. American Journal of Sociology, 117, 763 – 807. https://doi.org/10.1086/661904
dc.identifier.citedreferenceWitteveen, D., & Attewell, P. ( 2017 ). Family background and earnings inequality among college graduates. Social Forces, 95, 1539 – 1576. https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/sow109
dc.identifier.citedreferenceZhou, X. ( 2019 ). Equalization or selection? Reassessing the ‘meritocratic power’ of a college degree in intergenerational income mobility. American Sociological Review, 84, 459 – 485. https://doi.org/10.1177/0003122419844992
dc.identifier.citedreferenceHitsch, G. J., Hortaçsu, A., & Ariely, D. ( 2010 ). Matching and sorting in online dating. American Economic Review, 100, 130 – 163. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.100.1.130
dc.identifier.citedreferenceHoule, J. N. ( 2014 ). A generation indebted: Young adult debt across three generations. Social Problems, 61, 448 – 465. https://doi.org/10.1525/sp.2014.12110
dc.identifier.citedreferenceStreib, J. ( 2015 ). The power of the past: Understanding cross‐class marriages. Oxford University Press.
dc.identifier.citedreferenceAhmed, A. M., Andersson, A., & Hammarstedt, M. ( 2011 ). Inter‐ and intra‐household earnings differentials among homosexual and heterosexual couples. British Journal of Industrial Relations, 49, 258 – 278. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467‐8543.2011.00849.x
dc.identifier.citedreferenceArmstrong, E. A., & Hamilton, L. ( 2013 ). Paying for the party: How college maintains inequality. Harvard University Press.
dc.identifier.citedreferenceArmstrong, E. A., Hamilton, L., & Sweeney, B. ( 2006 ). Sexual assault on campus: A multilevel, integrative approach to party rape. Social Problems, 53, 483 – 499. https://doi.org/10.1525/sp.2006.53.4.483
dc.identifier.citedreferenceArum, R., Roksa, J., & Budig, M. J. ( 2008 ). The romance of college attendance: Higher education stratification and mate selection. Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, 26, 107 – 121. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rssm.2008.02.003
dc.identifier.citedreferenceBlackwell, D. L. ( 1998 ). Marital homogamy in the United States: The influence of individual and paternal education. Social Science Research, 27, 159 – 188. https://doi.org/10.1006/ssre.1998.0618
dc.identifier.citedreferenceBlackwell, D. L., & Lichter, D. T. ( 2004 ). Homogamy among dating, cohabiting, and married couples. The Sociological Quarterly, 45, 719 – 737. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1533‐8525.2004.tb02311.x
dc.identifier.citedreferenceBlau, P. M., & Schwartz, J. E. ( 1997 ). Crosscutting social circles: Testing a macrostructural theory of intergroup relations. Transaction Publishers.
dc.identifier.citedreferenceBonilla‐Silva, E. ( 2015 ). The structure of racism in color‐blind, ‘post‐racial’ America. American Behavioral Scientist, 59, 1358 – 1376. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764215586826
dc.identifier.citedreferenceBruch, E. E., & Newman, M. E. J. ( 2019 ). Structure of online dating markets in U.S. cities. Sociological Science, 6, 219 – 234. https://doi.org/10.15195/v6.a9
dc.identifier.citedreferenceChetty, R., Friedman, J.N., Saez, E., Turner, N., & Yagan, D. ( 2017 ). “ Mobility report cards: The roles of colleges in intergenerational mobility.” https://doi.org/10.3386/w23618.
dc.identifier.citedreferenceChristakis, N. A., & Fowler, J. H. ( 2009 ). Connected: The surprising power of our social networks and how they shape our lives. Little, Brown and Company.
dc.identifier.citedreferenceClarke, A. Y. ( 2011 ). Inequalities of love: College‐educated black women and the barriers to romance and family. Duke University.
dc.identifier.citedreferenceClotfelter, C. T. ( 2017 ). Unequal colleges in the age of disparity. Harvard University Press.
dc.identifier.citedreferenceDiPrete, T. A., & Buchmann, C. ( 2013 ). The rise of women: The growing gender gap in education and what it means for American schools. Russell Sage.
dc.identifier.citedreferenceFord, K. S. ( 2019 ). Marrying within the alma mater: Understanding the role of same‐university marriages in education homogamy. Sociological Research Online., 25, 254 – 272. https://doi.org/10.1177/1360780419867710
dc.identifier.citedreferenceFord, L.D.A. ( 2018 ). That’s the way love goes: An examination of the romantic experiences of black middle class women (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Duke University, Durham.
dc.identifier.citedreferenceFriedman, S., & Laurison, D. ( 2019 ). The class ceiling: Why it pays to be privileged. Bristol University Press.
dc.identifier.citedreferenceHamilton, L. ( 2016 ). Parenting to a degree: How family matters for college women’s success. University of Chicago Press.
dc.identifier.citedreferenceHamilton, Laura & Elizabeth A. Armstrong. ( 2009 ). Gendered Sexuality in Young Adulthood: Double Binds and Flawed Options. Gender & Society 23, 589 – 616. https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243209345829.
dc.identifier.citedreferenceHamilton, L., & Cheng, S. ( 2018 ). Going Greek: The organization of campus life and class‐based graduation gaps. Social Forces, 96, 977 – 1008. https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/sox089
dc.identifier.citedreferenceHechinger, J. ( 2017 ). True gentlemen: The broken pledge of America’s fraternities. Hachette Book Group.
dc.identifier.citedreferenceHout, M. ( 1988 ). More universalism, less structural mobility: The American occupational structure in the 1980s. American Journal of Sociology, 93, 1358 – 1400. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2780817
dc.identifier.citedreferenceHout, M. ( 2012 ). Social and economic returns to college education in the United States. Annual Review of Sociology, 38, 379 – 400. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.soc.012809.102503
dc.identifier.citedreferenceKalmijn, M. ( 1991 ). Status homogamy in the United States. American Journal of Sociology, 97, 496 – 523. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2781384
dc.identifier.citedreferenceKao, G., Joyner, K., & Balistreri, K. S. ( 2019 ). The company we keep: Interracial friendships and romantic relationships from adolescence to adulthood. Russell Sage.
dc.identifier.citedreferenceKarabel, J. ( 2005 ). The chosen: The hidden history of admission and exclusion at Harvard, Yale, and Princeton. Houghton Mifflin Company.
dc.identifier.citedreferenceKillewald, A. ( 2016 ). Money, work, and marital stability: Assessing change in the gendered determinants of divorce. American Sociological Review, 81, 669 – 719. https://doi.org/10.1177/0003122416655340
dc.identifier.citedreferenceLewis, A. E., & Diamond, J. B. ( 2015 ). Despite the best intentions: How racial inequality thrives in good schools. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
dc.working.doiNOen
dc.owningcollnameInterdisciplinary and Peer-Reviewed


Files in this item

Name:
jomf12747.pdf
Size:
257.6KB
Format:
PDF
View/Open
Name:
jomf12747_am.pdf
Size:
273.7KB
Format:
PDF
View/Open

Show simple item record

Remediation of Harmful Language

The University of Michigan Library aims to describe its collections in a way that respects the people and communities who create, use, and are represented in them. We encourage you to Contact Us anonymously if you encounter harmful or problematic language in catalog records or finding aids. More information about our policies and practices is available at Remediation of Harmful Language.

Accessibility

If you are unable to use this file in its current format, please select the Contact Us link and we can modify it to make it more accessible to you.