Recent Changes in American Fertility, Marriage, and Divorce

Bibliographic Data

ID9751980
AuthorsAndrew J Cherlin (0000-0002-2100-1964, corresponding author), Andrew Cherlin
Year1990
Volume510
Issue1
Pages145-154
Publication date1990-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0002-7162 • E-ISSN: 1552-3349
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/0002716290510001011
PMID11616568
OpenAlexW2114680818
LanguageEN
Citations received11
References cited15

This article discusses recent trends in fertility, marriage, and divorce in the period since 1965 in the United States. It describes briefly the sharp changes in patterns of births, marriage, informal unions, divorce, and remarriage. Very recent developments of note include the increasingly important place of cohabitation in the life course, the continuing postponement of marriage, and the rise in birth rates to women in their thirties. Explanations are examined that emphasize both the increased economic opportunities for women and the cultural shift toward a greater emphasis on individualism and self-fulfillment. In the concluding section, it is argued that concerns about fertility and the family in the years ahead will focus less on the number of children than on whether their upbringing and education will be adequate to meet the needs of a society with a relatively small labor force and a large dependent population

Cohabitation · Demographic economics · Economic growth · Economics · Fertility · Individualism · Political science · Population · Postponement · Remarriage · Sociology · Demographic Trends and Gender Preferences · Demography · Family Dynamics and Relationships · Gender, Labor, and Family Dynamics · Law

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