A Good Age to Marry? Marital Timing Values and Their Influence on Marriage

• In Event: 264 - Section on the Sociology of the Family Paper Session. Demography of Families and Gender

Abstract

Using unique, longitudinal data from Nepal, this study examines whether values about marital timing held by young people and their parents influence young people’s entrance into marriage. We also explore whose values are more influential and whether these values explain why women marry earlier than men. We find that the values of both young people and their parents do influence young people’s intentions to marry, as well as their actual marriage behavior. Marriage intentions are also strong predictors of marriage behavior. Young people’s own values are more influential than their parents’ values in determining intentions, but not behavior. Further, while the influence of mothers and fathers is relatively even, mothers are slightly more influential than fathers. These values also explain part, but not all, of the gender differential in marital timing.

Authors

• Keera Allendorf, Indiana University

• Arland Thornton, University of Michigan

• Colter Mitchell, University of Michigan

• Linda Young-DeMarco, University of Michigan

• Dirgha Jibi Ghimire, University of Michigan