Publications by authors named "Jonathan Vespa"

Objectives: This report shows trends and group differences in current marital status, with a focus on first marriages among women and men aged 15-44 years in the United States. Trends and group differences in the timing and duration of first marriages are also discussed. These data are based on the 2006-2010 National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG).

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This study builds on Becker's and Oppenheimer's theories of union formation to examine the economic determinants of marriage and cohabitation during older adulthood. Based on the 1998-2006 Health and Retirement Study and a sample of previously married Americans who are at least 50 years old, results show that wealthier older adults, regardless of gender, are more likely to repartner than stay single. Wealth has no discernable effect on the likelihood of remarrying versus cohabiting.

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This study extends research on the relationship between wealth accumulation and union experiences, such as marriage and cohabitation. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979, we explore the wealth trajectories of married individuals in light of their premarital cohabitation histories. Over time, marriage positively correlates with wealth accumulation.

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