The Timing of First Marriage

Abstract

Using survey data from a nationally representative sample, this article explores how marriage timing varies across major religious denominations. Survival analysis indicates that net of statistical controls, Catholics, moderate Protestants, conservative Protestants, and Mormons marry significantly earlier than their unaffiliated counterparts. This holds true for women and men. However, no statistical differences emerge between Jews, liberal Protestants, and the unaffiliated. As surmised, auxiliary statistical tests reveal additional religious subcultural variations: (a) Jews tend to marry later than Catholics, conservative Protestants, and Mormons; (b) Catholics also marry later than conservative Protestants and Mormons; (c) no statistical difference surfaces between Mormons and conservative Protestants; and (d) differences between Catholics and liberal Protestants as well as between Jews and liberal Protestants are statistically negligible. These findings systematically support the denominational subcultural paradigm in the case of marriage timing.

Remarriage Timing: Does Religion Matter?

“…Early evidence revealed that those claiming a religious affiliation are more likely to marry than are the religiously unaffiliated (Heaton and Goodman 1985). And where marriage timing is concerned, conservative Protestants and Latter-day Saints (Mormons) marry, on average, at the youngest ages (Xu et al 2005). Other, less culturally distinctive religious groups are more likely to postpone marriage at rates akin to those in the general population.…”

“…Given signs of intergenerational decline in Americans' religiosity (e.g., attendance) (Schwadel 2011), what influence, if any, does religion exert in remarriage timing among young Americans who have recently experienced a divorce? And, if religion does influence remarriage trajectories, are variations among denominational subcultures evident similar to those observed in the timing of first marriage (Rendon et al 2014;Uecker 2014;Xu et al 2005)? In addition, what role, if any, does religious and spiritual capital play in the timing of remarriage? It is possible, for example, that integration within religious networks through regular worship service attendance could serve as a remarriage market among persons of faith.…”

“…Social scientists have established that religion influences people's entry into marriage, as well as their exit from it. Where entry into first marriage is concerned, Mormons (Latter-day Saints) and conservative Protestants are considerably more likely to marry early, while their counterparts in other faith traditions and those who claim no religious affiliation tend to marry later (Rendon et al 2014;Xu et al 2005;Uecker 2014;Uecker et al 2016). Scholars point to the pro-family character of Latter-day Saints and conservative Protestants in explaining their eagerness to marry young (Xu et al 2005;Uecker and Stokes 2008).…”

“…Where entry into first marriage is concerned, Mormons (Latter-day Saints) and conservative Protestants are considerably more likely to marry early, while their counterparts in other faith traditions and those who claim no religious affiliation tend to marry later (Rendon et al 2014;Xu et al 2005;Uecker 2014;Uecker et al 2016). Scholars point to the pro-family character of Latter-day Saints and conservative Protestants in explaining their eagerness to marry young (Xu et al 2005;Uecker and Stokes 2008). And, as it turns out, religion also influences married persons' propensity to exit marriage through divorce (Call and Heaton 1997;Ellison and Xu 2014;Lehrer and Chiswick 1993;Vaaler et al 2009).…”

Neighbors Like Me? Religious Affiliation and Neighborhood Racial Preferences among Non-Hispanic Whites

“…Individuals that grow up in evangelical denominations continue to attain lower levels of education than other whites, resulting in somewhat lower levels of education among white evangelicals as a whole [61]. In addition, marriage, childbearing, and homeownership tend to occur earlier for evangelical Protestants than for other groups [62][63][64]. Significantly, scholars have suggested that homeowners or those with children in the home hold a greater stake in their neighborhoods and may have particular preferences about neighborhood composition and quality [13,59].…”