Family Demography Reading List
CHANGING FAMILY PATTERNS (TRENDS AND EXPLANATIONS)
1. Bumpass, Larry. 1990. “What’s Happening to the Family?” Demography 27:483-93.
2. Cherlin, Andrew. 2010. “Demographic Trends in the United States: A Review of Research
in the 2000s” Journal of Marriage and Family 72:403-419
3. Popenoe, David. 1993. “American Family Decline, 1960-1990: A Review and Appraisal.”
Journal of Marriage and the Family 55:527-555. (*and responses including “A Plea of
Objective Assessment of the Notion of Family Decline” Glenn, “Good Riddance to “the
Family” Stacey, and “The sky is falling ..” Cowan, “The National Family Wars” Popenoe)
4. Lesthaeghe. 1995. “The Second Demographic Transition in Western Countries.” In Mason
and Jenson (eds.) Gender and Family Change in Industrialized Countries.
5. McLanahan, Sara S. and Christine Percheski. 2008. “Family Structure and the Reproduction
of Inequalities.” Annual Review of Sociology. 24:257-76.
6. Seltzer Judith A., et al. 2005. “Explaining Family Change and Variation: Challenges for
Family Demographers.” Journal of Marriage and Family 67:908-925.
MARRIAGE
TREND AND THEORIES ON MARRIAGE and COHABITATION
7. Oppenheimer, Valerie K. 1988. “A Theory of Marriage Timing.” American Journal of
Sociology 94: 563-591.
8. Oppenheimer, Valerie K. 1997. “Men’s career development and marriage timing during a
period of rising inequality.” Demography. 34(3):311-330.
9. Sweeney, Megan M. 2002. “Two Decades of Family Change: The Shifting Economic
Foundations of Marriage.” American Sociological Review 67:132-147.
10. Sweeney, M.M, and M. Cancian. 2004. The changing importance of Whites women’s
economic prospects for assortive mating. Journal of Marriage and Family 66: 1015-1028.
11. Press, Julie E. 2004. “Cute butts and housework: A gynocentric theory of assortative
mating.” Journal of Marriage and Family 66:4, 1029-1033
12. Paula England. 2004. More mercenary mate selection? Comment on Sweeney and Cancian
(2004) and Press (2004). Journal of Marriage and Family 66:4, 1034-1037
13. Smock, P. J. (2004) “The Wax and Wane of Marriage: Prospects for Marriage in the 21st
Century”. Journal of Marriage and Family 66(4): 966-973.
14. Manning, W.D., Longmore, M. A., and Giordano, P.C. 2007.“The Changing Institution of
Marriage: Adolescents’ Expectations to Cohabit and to Marry” Journal of Marriage and the
Family 69(3) 559-575.
15. Cherlin, Andrew J. 2004. ”The Deinstitutionalization of American Marriage.” Journal of
Marriage and Family 66:848-861.
16. Sawhill, Isabel V. 1977. “Economic Perspectives on the Family.” Daedalus 115-124.
17. Becker G. 1981. A Treatise on the Family. Harvard University Press. (Chapter 2 and 10).
THE ROLE/IMPORTANCE OF MARRIAGE/WHY MARRIAGE (A SOCIAL
STRATIFCATION/INEQUALITY MECHANISM)
18. Waite, L. (1995). "Does marriage matter?" Demography 32(4): 483-507.
19. Brown, S. L. (2010). "Marriage and Child Well-Being: Research and Policy Perspectives."
Journal of Marriage and Family 72(5): 1059-1077.
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20. Williams, Sassler, and Nicholson. (2008). For Better or For Worse? The Consequences of
Marriage and Cohabitation for Single Mothers. Social Forces 86(4): 1481-1511.
21. Nock, Steven L. 2005. “Marriage as a Public Issue.” Future of Children 15(2): 13-28.
MARRIAGE DIFFERENTIALS – RACE, CLASS, GENDER, SEXUALITY
22. Ferree, M. M. (2010). "Filling the Glass: Gender Perspectives on Families." Journal of
Marriage and Family 72(3): 420-439.
23. Burton, Linda, Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, Victor Ray, Rose Buckelew and Elizabeth Hordge
Freeman. Critical Race Theories, Colorism, and the Decade's Research on Families of Color.
Journal of Marriage and Family 72: 440–459)
24. Harknett, Kristen and Arielle Kuperberg. (2011). “Education, Labor Markets, and the Retreat
from Marriage.” Social Forces.
25. Gibson-Davis, C. M., K. Edin, et al. (2005). "High Hopes but Even Higher Expectations: The
Retreat From Marriage Among Low-Income Couples." Journal of Marriage and Family
67(5): 1301-1312.
26. Lichter, Daniel T., Diane K. McLaughlin, George Kephart, and Landry. 1992. “Race and the
retreat from marriage: A shortage of marriageable men?” American Sociological Review
57(6).
27. Raley, R. Kelly. 1996. “A Shortage of Marriageable Men? A Note on the Role of
Cohabitation in Black-white Differences in Marriage Rates.” American Sociological Review
61:973-983.
28. Carlson, M.; Mclanahan, S., and England, P. Union Formation in Fragile Families.
Demography. 2004 May; 41(2):237-261.
29. Edin, K. and Reed, J. M. Why Don't They Just Get Married? Barriers to Marriage Among
the Disadvantaged. Future of Children. 2005 Fall; 15(2):117-137.
30. Sassler. Waiting to Be Asked: Gender, Power, and Relationship Progression Among
Cohabiting Couples. Journal of Family Issues.
31. Oropesa, R. S. and Nancy S. Landale. 2004. “The Future of Marriage and Hispanics.”
Journal of marriage and Family 66: 901-920.
MARRIAGE MARKET, MATE SELECTION, MARRIAGE HOMOGAMOUS
32. Torr, B. M. 2011. "The Changing Relationship between Education and Marriage in the
United States, 1940 - 2000." Journal of Family History 36(4): 483-503.
33. Rosenfeld, M. J. and Reuben J. Thomas, Forthcoming "Searching for a Mate: The Rise of the
Internet as a Social Intermediary." American Sociological Review.
34. Schwartz, C. R. and R. D. Mare. 2005. “Trends in educational assortative marriage from
1940 to 2003.” Demography 42:621-646.
35. Sassler, S. (2010). "Partnering Across the Life Course: Sex, Relationships, and Mate
Selection." Journal of Marriage and Family 72(3): 557-575.
TRENDS AND DIFFERENTIALS IN COHABITATION
36. Smock, Pamela. 2000. “Cohabitation in the United States: An appraisal of research themes,
findings, and implications.” Annual Review of Sociology, 26: 1-20.
37. Manning, Wendy and Pamela J. Smock. 2005. "Measuring and modeling cohabitation: New
Perspective from qualitative data” Journal of Marriage and Family 67: 989-1002.
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38. Sassler, S. 2004. “The Process of Entering Into Cohabiting Unions” Journal of Marriage and
the Family 66(2):491-505
39. Heuveline, Patrick and Jeffrey M. Timberlake. 2004. “The role of cohabitation in family
formation: The United States in comparative perspective.” Journal of Marriage and Family
66:1214-1230.
40. Brines J, Joyner K. 1999. “The ties that bind: Principles of cohesion in cohabitation and
marriage.” American Sociological Review. 64: (3) 333-355.
41. Smock, Pamela, Wendy Manning, and Meredith Porter. 2005 "Everything's There Except
Money": How Money Shapes Decisions to Marry Among Cohabitors.” Journal of Marriage
and Family 67(3), 680-696.
42. Stanley, Rhoades, Markman (2006) “Sliding versus deciding: Inertia and the premarital
cohabitation effect.” Family Relations 55(4): 499-509.
43. Lichter, Daniel T. and Zhenchao Qian. 2008. “Serial Cohabitation and the Marital Life
Course.” Journal of Marriage and Family 70: 861-878.
44. Cohen, Jessica and Wedny Manning. 2010. “The Relationship Context of Premarital Serial
Cohabitation.” Social Science Research 39: 766-776.
45. Kuperberg, Arielle. 2014. “Age at Coresidence, Premarital Cohabitation, and Marriage
Dissolution: 1985-2009.” Journal of Marriage and Family 76.
DIVORCE- REMARRIAGE- STEPFAMILIES (TRENDS, PATTERNS,
DIFFERENTIALS, EXPLANATIONS)
46. Martin, Steven P. (2004). Growing Evidence for a “Divorce Divide”? Education and Marital
Dissolution Rates in the U.S. since the 1970s. Working Paper. Russell Sage Foundation. New
York.
47. Amato, P. R. (2000). “The consequences of divorce for adults and children” Journal of
Marriage and Family 62: 1269-1287.
48. Kennedy, Sheela and Steven Ruggles. 2014. “Breaking Up Is Hard to Count: The Rise of
Divorce in the United States, 1980-2010.” Demography.
49. Oppenheimer, V. K. “Comment on The rise of divorce and separation in the United States,
1880-1990.” Demography 34(4)
50. Goldstein, J.R. 1999. “The leveling of divorce in the United States.” Demography, 36, 409414.
51. Thornton, Arland. 1985. “Changing attitudes toward separation and divorce: Causes and
consequences.” American Journal of Sociology. 90:856-872.
52. Schoen, Robert, Nan Marie Astone, Kendra Rothert, Nicola J. Standish, and Young J. Kim.
2002. “Women’s Employment, Marital Happiness, and Divorce.” Social Forces 81:643-662.
53. Cherlin, Andrew J. 1978. “Remarriage as an incomplete institution.” American Journal of
Sociology 84:634-650.
54. Sweeney. 2010. Remarriage and Stepfamilies: Strategic Sites for Family Scholarship in the
21st Century. Journal of Marriage and Family 72: 667-684.
NON-MARITAL FERTILITY (TRENDS AND DIFFERENTIALS)
55. Martinez, G., Daniels, K., and Chandra, A. (2012). Fertility of Men and Women Aged 15-44
Years in the United States: National Survey of Family Growth 2006-2010. U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services. Division of Vital Statistics.
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56. Smock, P. J. and Fiona R. Greenland. 2010. “Diversity in Pathways to Parenthood: Patterns,
Implications, and Emerging Research Directions” Journal of Marriage and Family 72:576593
57. Smith, Herbert L. S. Philip Morgan, and Tanya Koropeckyj-Cox. 1996. “A Decomposition of
Trends in the Nonmarital Fertility Ratios of Blacks and Whites in the United States, 19601992. Demography 33(2): 141-151.
58. Raley, R. Kelly. 2001 “Increasing Fertility in Cohabiting Unions: Evidence for the Second
Demographic Transition in the United States.” Demography.
59. Sweeney, Megan, M. (2010). The Reproductive Context of Cohabitation in the United States:
Recent Change and Variation in Contraceptive Use. Journal of Marriage and Family, 72:
1155-1170.
60. Carlson, Marcia J. & Frank F. Furstenberg. 2006. The prevalence and correlates of
multipartnered fertility among urban U.S. Parents. Journal of Marriage and Family 68:718732.
61. Wildsmith, Elizabeth & Kelly Raley. 2006. Race-ethnic differences in nonmarital fertility: A
focus on Mexican American women. Journal of Marriage and Family 68:491-508.
62. Harknett, Kristen and Sara McLanahan. 2004. Racial and ethnic differences in marriage after
the birth of a child. American Sociological Review.
63. South, S. J., & Crowder, K. D. (1999). Neighborhood effects on family formation:
Concentrated poverty and beyond. American Sociological Review, 64(1), 113-132.
LGBT AND NONTRADITIONAL FAMILIES
64. Biblarz, T. and Evren Savci. 2010. “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Families”
Journal of Marriage and Family 72:480-497
65. Regnerus, Mark. 2012. "How different are the adult children of parents who have same-sex
relationships? Findings from the New Family Structures Study." Social Science Research.
66. Liu, Hui, Corinne Reczek, and Dustin Brown. 2013. “Same-Sex Cohabitors and Health: The
Role of Race-Ethnicity, Gender, and Socioeconomic Status.” Journal of health and Social
Behavior 54(1): 25-45.
67. M. J. Rosenfeld, 2010. "Nontraditional Families and Childhood Progress Through School."
in Demography, Volume 47 (3): 755-775
68. Biblarz, Tim and Judith Stacey. 2010. "How Does the Gender of Parents Matter?" Journal of
Marriage and Family 72:3-22.
69. Wildeman, Christopher and Bruce Western. 2010. “Incarceration in Fragile Families.” Future
of Children 20(2): 157-172.
70. Fapohunda, Eleanor. 1988. “The Nonpooling Household: A Challenge to Theory.”
CONSEQUENCES OF FAMILY CHANGES
ADULTS’ WELLBEING: MARITAL STATUS, MARITAL QUALITY, NONMARITAL FERTLITY,
DIVORCE
71. Umberson, D., Tetyana Pudrovska, and Corinne Reczek. 2010. “Parenthood, Childlessness,
and Wellbeing: A Life Course Perspective” Journal of Marriage and Family 72: 612-629
72. Glenn ND. 1998. The course of marital success and failure in five American 10-year
marriage cohorts. Journal of Marriage and Family 60 (3): 569-576.
73. Lillard LA, Waite LJ. 1995. “Til Death Do Us Part: Marital Disruption And Mortality.”
American Journal of Sociology. 100 (5): 1131-1156.
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74. Williams, K. 2003. “Has the future of marriage arrived? A contemporary examination of
gender, marriage, and psychological well-being.” Journal of Health and Social Behavior,
44(4), 470-487.
75. Brown SL. 2000. “The effect of union type on psychological well-being: Depression among
cohabitors versus marrieds.” Journal of Health Social Behavior 41 (3): 241-255.
76. Hughes and Waite. (2009). Marital Biography and Health at Mid-Life. Journal of Health and
Social Behavior 50: 344-358.
77. Liu and Umberson. (2008). The Times They Are a Changin’: Marital Status and Health
Differentials from 1972-2003. Journal of Health and Social Behavior 49: 239-253.
78. Musick, Kelly and Larry Bumpass. 2012. “Reexamining the Case for Marriage: Union
Formation and Changes in Well-being.” Journal of Marriage and Family 74: 1-18.
79. Amato, Paul. “Research on Divorce: Continuing Trends and New Developments.” Journal of
Marriage and Family 72: 650-666.
80. Smock PJ, Manning WD, Gupta S 1999. “The effect of marriage and divorce on women's
economic well-being.” American Sociological Review 64: (6) 794-812.
81. Iceland, J. 2003. Why poverty remains high: The role of income growth, economic
inequality, and changes in family structure, 1949-1999. Demography, 40(3), 499-519.
CHILDREN’S WELLBEING: NONMARIAL FERTILITY, DIVORCE AND REMARRIAGE,
NONTRADITIONAL FAMILIES
82. Crosnoe, R. and Shannon E. Cavanagh. 2010. “Families with Children and Adolescents: A
Review, Critique, and Future Agenda.” Journal of Marriage and Family 72: 594-611.
83. McLanahan, S. 2004. “Diverging Destinies: How Children Are Faring Under the Second
Demographic Transition.” Demography, 41(4), 607-627
84. Cherlin, Andrew J. 1999. “Going to Extremes: Family Structure, Children’s Well-being, and
Social Science. Demography 36:421-428.
85. Wu, Lawrence L. 1996. “Effects of family instability, income, and income instability on the
risk of a premarital birth.” American Sociological Review 61(3):386-407.
86. Morrison, D. R., & Ritualo, A. (2000). “Routes to children’s economic recovery after
divorce: Are cohabitation and remarriage equivalent?” American Sociological Review, 65,
560-580.
87. Cavanagh, Shannon and Aletha Huston. 2006. “Family instability and children’s early
problem behavior.” Social Forces 85: 575-605.
88. Hofferth, S., and Anderson, K. G. 2003. “Are all dads equal? Biology versus marriage as
basis for paternal investment.” Journal of Marriage and Family 65: 213-232.
89. Hawkins, D., Amato, P., and King, V. 2007. “Nonresident father involvement and adolescent
well-being: Father effects of child effects?” American Sociological Review 72:990-1010.
90. Amato, Paul R. 2005. “The Impact of Family Formation Change on the Cognitive, Social,
and Emotional Well-Being of the Next Generation.” Future of Children 15(2): 1-13.
FAMILY CHANGE AND INEQUALITY / INTEGENERATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS
91. Edin, Kathryn and R. J. Kissane. 2010. “Poverty and the American Family: A Decade in
Review” Journal of Marriage and Family 72: 460-479.
92. Silverstein, M and R. Giarrusso. 2010. “Aging and Family life: A Decade Review” Journal
of Marriage and Family 72: 1039-1058.
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93. Western, B. Bloome, D. and Percheski C. 2008. Inequality among American Families with
Children: 1975-2005. American Sociological Review.
94. Musick, K., & Mare, R. D. (2004). Family Structure, Intergenerational Mobility, and the
Reproduction of Poverty: Evidence for Increasing Polarization? Demography, 41(4), 629648.
95. Heuveline, P. and M . Weinshenker, M. 2008. “The international child poverty gap: Does
demography matter?” Demography 45(1): 173-191
96. Preston, S. H. (1984). "Children and the Elderly - Divergent Paths for Americas
Dependents." Demography 21(4): 435-457.
97. Fussell, E. 2002. "The Transition to Adulthood in Aging Societies." The ANNALS of the
American Academy of Political and Social Science 580(1): 16-39.
98. Hogan, D.P. Eggebeen, D.J. & C. C. Clogg. 1993. “The Structure of intergenerational
exchanges in American Families.” American Journal of Sociology, 98, 1428-1458.
99. Goldscheider, F. K., Thornton, A., & Yang, L. S. (2001). Helping Out the Kids: Expectations
About Parental Support in Young Adulthood. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 63(3),
727-740.
100. Sarkisian, N. "Doing Family Ambivalence": Nuclear and Extended Families in Single
Mothers' Lives. Journal of Marriage and the Family. 2006 Nov; 68(4):804-811.
101. Glick J E. Connecting complex process: a decade or research on immigrant families,
Journal of Marriage and family, 2010
102. Bengton, Vern L. 2001. “Beyond the Nuclear Family: The Increasing Importance of
Multigenerational Bonds.” Journal of Marriage and Family 63: 1-16.
THE FUTURE OF THE FAMILY
103. Amato, Paul R. 2004. “Tension between Institutional and Individual Views of Marriage.”
Journal of Marriage and Family 66:959-965.
104. Coontz, Stephanie. 2004. “The World Historical Transformation of Marriage.” Journal of
Marriage and Family 66:974-979.
105. Cooke, Lynn P., and Baxter, Janeen. 2010. “Families” in International Context:
Institutional Effects Across Western Societies. Journal of Marriage and Family 72: 516-536.
106. Jr, Glen. H. Elder 1978. "Approaches to Social Change and the Family." American
Journal of Sociology 84: S1-S38.
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