Parenting across Racial and Class Lines: Assortative Mating Patterns of New Parents Who Are Married, Cohabiting, Dating, and No Longer Romantically Involved

Joshua Goldstein, Princeton University
Kristen Harknett, University of Pennsylvania

Abstract

In this article, we examine the assortative mating patterns of new parents who are married, cohabiting, romantically involved, and no longer romantically involved. Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing study, we find that the effects of crossing racial and ethnic lines depend very much on whose perspective is taken. Crossing racial and ethnic lines has large effects on mothers' relationship status at the time of baby's birth but makes little difference from the fathers' perspective. Crossing educational attainment lines has little effect on relationship status at the time of baby's birth but same education-couples were slightly less at risk of divorce in the years that followed.