Childbearing after Marriage Dissolution: Does Union Status Matter?

Jessica A. Cohen, Bowling Green State University

Rates of marital disruption in the United States remain relativity high with one in two first marriages ending in divorce. As a result, there is a substantial pool of Americans who may potentially enter cohabiting unions or remarry once their first marriage has dissolved (i.e. postmarital union formation). Only two prior studies have compared fertility levels of cohabiting women to their remarried counterparts (Loomis and Landale 1994; Jefferies et al. 2000). Using the 2006-2008 National Survey of Family Growth, this current study aims to further the extant literature by comparing fertility levels of postmarital cohabitors to remarried women.