Social Class Differences in Relationship Negotiation among Cohabiting Couples

Sharon Sassler, Cornell University
Amanda J. Miller, University of Central Oklahoma
Tamara Green, University of Central Oklahoma

A growing body of evidence suggests that among the ways that social disparities are manifest across class groups is in the precursors to and outcomes resulting from cohabitation. Our paper explores the role played by gender and class in relationship progression, from dating, to cohabiting, to talk of marriage and proposing. Data are from in-depth interviews with 122 cohabiting individuals (61 couples). Half of the couples are middle class, and half are working class. Results indicate that men initiate dating and proposals more often than do women, though there is more gender equality in who raises the topic of cohabiting. Middle class women, are more likely to set a time frame for an expected proposal than are their working class counterparts. Educational status serves to provide middle class women with greater agency in negotiating important life course decisions than is found among their working class female counterparts.