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Better Together? Relationship Trajectories and Maternal Well-being after Paternal Incarceration

Sat, August 11, 10:30 to 11:30am, Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, Floor: Level 5, Salon G

Abstract

Each year, incarceration brings millions of couples in the United States to a crossroad, and many relationships do not survive the separation and strains of a jail or prison spell. Researchers and policymakers have identified relationship instability as a problematic collateral consequence of incarceration, but it is unclear that it is in women’s best interest to maintain relationships with incarcerated men. Using data from the Fragile Families Study, this article compares the wellbeing of women who remain in a relationship, separate, or repartner after their partner’s incarceration. Two key questions are considered: how do women who take different relationship trajectories fare relative to one another, and how much change do women experience over the course of the incarceration. Maternal wellbeing is measured through poverty, relationship quality, and parenting support. Most mothers exit their relationships, typically remaining single rather than repartnering. Results indicate that while there are some benefits to remaining together, tradeoffs in wellbeing across these relationship trajectories mean relationship decisions are far more complicated for most mothers.

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