Revisiting the Effect of Education on Marriage in an Era of Rising Student Loan Debt

• In Event: 2340 - Social Inequality in Family Formation (Co-sponsored with the Section on Sociology of Population)

Abstract

Young adults in the United States are experiencing widespread economic uncertainty, as student debt has become an increasingly important indicator of economic disadvantage. To understand the consequences of student debt, scholars have explored its role in delaying marriage. Yet, important theoretical and empirical questions remain about the relative nature of student debt. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (NLSY97), we employ discrete-time hazards models to investigate the influence of student debt on the longstanding positive association of education and marriage. In addition, we test this effect on a horizontal dimension of education – college major – and test the effect of relative burden of student debt on marital decisions. Results indicate that student debt presents a penalty for college dropouts in the marriage market and for individuals majoring in social sciences and humanities. We also find that future income is an important factor in the decision to marry someone with student debt. Findings contribute to understandings of economic precariousness and life course development, which are important in light of the widening socioeconomic stratification facilitated by student debt.

Authors

• Inbar Weiss, University of Texas at Austin

• Kevin Dahaghi