Work

Unintended Childbearing and Marital Instability: An Emphasis on Couples’ Intentions

Year: 2020

Type: article

Abstract: The birth of a child can negatively impact relationship functioning, especially if one or both partners did not intend to have a child. As such, unintended or disagreed-upon births may elevate the risk of dissolution. In this paper, we use the National Survey of Family Growth to consider how married couples characterize the intendedness of their first birth and examine its linkage with dissolution. Nearly one-third of first marital births are unintended by at least one parent. When fathers do not intend the birth, regardless of whether or not mothers do, couples report an elevated risk of dissolution.

Source: Journal of Divorce & Remarriage

DOI: 10.1080/10502556.2020.1768494

Authors: J. Bart Stykes, Karen Benjamin Guzzo

Institutions: Sam Houston State University, Bowling Green State University

Language: English

Topic: Family Dynamics and Relationships

Subfield: Demography

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Institutes of Health, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Awards: Center for Family and Demographic Research, G1473686163