The Variable Effects of Family Background on the Timing of First Marriage: United States, 1969–1993

Longitudinal data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics for a sample of 6570 women and men observed between 1969 and 1993 are used to examine historical changes and life-course variation in the effects of family background characteristics on the timing of first marriage. Discrete-time event history analyses reveal that the inverse effect of parental resources (family income and mother's education) on the timing of first marriage has both declined over time and weakens as children age. Historical declines in the effect of parental resources on first marriage timing appear to explain the divergence between Black and White marriage patterns over this period. In contrast, the inverse effect of experiencing a nonintact family structure during childhood on the timing of first marriage remains constant over both historical time and the life course. The implications of these findings for theories of demographic individuation and life-course perspectives are discussed.