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Number64 n April4,2013

FirstPremaritalCohabitationintheUnitedStates:20062010NationalSurveyofFamilyGrowth

byCaseyE.Copen,Ph.D.;KimberlyDaniels,Ph.D.;andWilliamD.Mosher,Ph.D.,DivisionofVitalStatistics

AbstractObjectiveThisreportprovidesanupdateddescriptionof trendsand

patterns infirstpremaritalcohabitationsamongwomenaged1544intheUnitedStatesusingtheNationalSurveyofFamilyGrowth(NSFG).Trends inpregnancieswithinfirstpremaritalcohabitingunionsanddifferencesbyHispanicoriginandrace,andeducationarealsopresented.

MethodsDatafor20062010werecollectedthroughin-person interviewswith22,682womenandmenaged1544 in thehouseholdpopulationof theUnitedStates.Thisreport isbasedprimarilyon thesampleof12,279womeninterviewedin20062010,andissupplementedbydatafromthe1995and2002NSFGs.

ResultsForty-eightpercentofwomen interviewedin20062010cohabitedwithapartnerasafirstunion,comparedwith34%ofwomenin1995.Between1995and20062010,thepercentageofwomenwhocohabitedasafirstunionincreasedforallHispanicoriginandracegroups,exceptforAsianwomen.In20062010,70%ofwomenwithlessthanahighschooldiplomacohabitedasafirstunion,comparedwith47%ofwomenwithabachelorsdegreeorhigher.Firstpremaritalcohabitationswerelongestforforeign-bornHispanicwomen(33months)andshortestforwhitewomen(19months).In20062010,40%offirstpremaritalcohabitationsamongwomentransitionedtomarriageby3years,32%remainedintact,and27%dissolved.Nearly20%ofwomenexperiencedapregnancy in thefirstyearof theirfirstpremaritalcohabitation.Keywords:unionstabilitymarriagenonmaritalbirths

FamilyGrowth(NSFG).EstimatesfromIntroductionthe20062010NSFGshow thatnearly

Thisreportpresentsnational one-half(48%)ofwomenaged1544estimatesoffirstpremaritalhadevercohabitedbeforemarriage

cohabitationswithamalepartnerfor(Table1).Similarly,mostyoungcoupleswomenaged1544 in theUnitedStateslivetogetherfirstbeforeenteringusingthe20062010NationalSurveyof

marriage(1,2).Cohabitationsaretypicallyshort-lived:one-halfofwomensfirstpremaritalcohabitationsthat

began

in

19972001

became

marriagesandanotherone-thirddissolvedwithin5years(2).

Cohabitationhasbecomeamorefrequentsiteforchildbearing.Arecentreportonfertilityusing the20062010NSFGshowedthat23%ofrecentbirthsamongwomenaged1544occurredwithincohabitation,asignificantincreasefrom14% in2002(3).One-halfofbirthstocohabitingwomen inrecentyearswereunintended(4).Unintendedbirthsareassociatedwithpoorersocial,economic,andhealthoutcomesforboththemotherandthechild(5).

TheCenters forDiseaseControlandPreventionsNationalCenter forHealthStatistics (NCHS)hasconducted theNSFGseven timessince1973.NSFG isjointlyplannedandfundedbyNCHSandseveralotherprogramsof theU.S.DepartmentofHealthandHumanServices (seeAcknowledgments).NSFG isdesigned toprovidenationaldata thatcomplementNCHSvitalstatisticsdataon registeredbirths in theUnitedStates,bycollectingdataon thefactors thataffectbirthandpregnancyratesincludingsexualactivity,

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Center for Health Statistics

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Page2 NationalHealthStatisticsReports n Number64 n April4,2013marriage,divorce,cohabitation,contraceptiveuse,and infertility(6).Since1973,NSFGhasincludedfertilityhistories thatprovidedataon thefactorsthatexplainfertilityin theUnitedStates.Inaddition tofertilitydata, the1995,2002,and20062010NSFGscollectedmarriageandcohabitationhistoriesforwomen.

Thecurrentreportpresentsestimatesfrom the20062010NSFGonthefirstpremaritalcohabitationexperiencesofwomenaged1544intheUnitedStatesanddescribestrendsinthesedatasince1995.Estimatesofhowlongwomensfirstpremaritalcohabitingunions lastedandwhether theyremainedintact,transitionedtomarriage,ordissolvedarepresented.Aconcurrentaimof thisreportis topresenttrends inthelikelihoodand timingofpregnancieswithinfirstpremaritalcohabitingunions,and todescribedifferencesacrossHispanicoriginandraceandeducationgroupsfor thesewomen.TheTransitionFromCohabitationtoMarriage

Given theincrease incohabitationintheUnitedStatesoverthepastseveral

decades,

considerable

research

hasfocusedonhowlongtheseunionslastandwhether theytransitiontomarriage.Researchersoftenframequestionson themeaningofcohabitationintermsof twopossibilities:whethercohabitationservesprimarilyasasteptowardmarriage,much likedatingandengagement,orasanalternative tomarriage(79).Economiccircumstancesarerelated tothemarriagedecision-makingprocess(1015).Transitionstomarriagearemore likelyforcohabitingwomenwithhigherlevelsofeducationandincomethanforcohabitingwomenoflowersocioeconomicstatus(10).Economicbarrierstomarriageareparticularlysignificantforcohabitingwomenwithchildren(16).Otherfactorsthatinfluencetheprogressionfromcohabitationtomarriage includerelationshipcommitmentandattitudestowardmarriage(17,18).

SourceoftheDataThisreportusesdataprimarilyfrom

the12,279femalerespondentsofthe20062010NSFG.Datawerecollectedthroughin-personinterviewsfromarepresentativesampleofwomenandmenaged1544 inthehouseholdpopulationof theUnitedStatesfromJune2006 throughJune2010.Dataonwomenfromthe1995and2002NSFGsarepresentedinsome tables toshowtrends inpremaritalcohabitationovertime.Thesurveyyear(s)referenced intheresultsrefer towhenfemalerespondentswere interviewed,notwhenaneventsuchasamarriage,cohabitation,orapregnancyoccurred.

TheNSFGsample isanationallyrepresentative,multistageareaprobabilitysampledrawnfrom110areas,orprimarysamplingunits,acrossthecountry.Toprotecttherespondentsprivacy,thesampledesignofNSFGisbasedonindependentsamplesofwomenandmen,notcouples.That is,onlyonepersonwas interviewedineachselectedhousehold.Theresponseratefor the20062010NSFGwas77%overalland78%forwomen.Moredetailed informationaboutthemethodsandproceduresofNSFGand itssampledesign,weighting,imputation,andvarianceestimationhasbeenpublished(6,19).Demographicvariables

Demographiccharacteristicsofwomenpresentedin thisreport include:ageat interview,ageatfirstpremaritalcohabitation,education,Hispanicoriginandrace,andnativityforHispanicwomen,that is,whethershewasborn intheUnitedStates.

The20062010NSFGcollectsretrospectivehistoriesofcohabitations,marriages,pregnancies,andbirthsofwomenaged1544.Formarriages,thehistoriesarecompleteandincludedataonpremaritalcohabitations,ifapplicable.Forcohabitationswithpartners towhomshewasnevermarried,detailedinformationwascollectedforup tofourcohabitations.Thevariablesfrom themaritalandcohabitationhistoriesused inthisreport

includedatesofwhenthefirstpremaritalcohabitationbeganand, ifapplicable,datesofwhenafirstmarriagebeganorthecohabitationended.

NSFGalsocontainsapregnancyandbirthhistorythatis,informationoneachpregnancy thewomanhaseverhadupto thesurveydateandtherelationshipwithherpartneratthe timeofthepregnancyandatthe timeof thebirth.Toexaminewhetherawomanhadapregnancywithinacohabitingunion,herfertilityhistorywasused todetermine ifshehadanypregnanciesleadingtoalivebirthwithherfirstcohabitingpartnerduring thecohabitation.Thisreportmeasuresonlypregnanciesending ina livebirth,inpartbecauseit ismoredifficulttocollectreliabledata in thesamedegreeofdetailonpregnancies thatendinfetallossorabortion.Forconvenience,apregnancy leading toa livebirthisreferredtoin thisreportasapregnancy.

ThedefinitionofHispanicoriginandraceused in thisreporttakesintoaccountthereportingofmorethanonerace,inaccordancewiththe1997guidelinesfromtheOfficeofManagementandBudget(20).Forconvenienceinwriting,thetermblackornon-Hispanicblackisusedinsteadof thefullphrasenon-HispanicblackorAfricanAmerican,singlerace.Similarly,the termwhiteornon-Hispanicwhiteisusedinsteadof thefullphrasenon-Hispanicwhite,singlerace.Thefullphrasesof thesecategoriesareshown inthetables.Inselected tableswheresamplesizespermit,Asianwomenareshownseparately.Further technicaldetailsonthevariables inthisreportcanbefound intheTechnicalNotesandinearlierNSFGreports(1,21,22).Statisticalanalysis

Someoftheresultspresented inthisreportuselife tablemethodology.Thelife tableisa tool thatdemographersusetostudymortality,but itisalsoappliedto thestudyoffertility,marriage,cohabitation,anddivorce(1,2,2125).Instudyingmortality,acohortlife tableis

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NationalHealthStatisticsReports n Number64 n April4,2013 Page3asummaryofthemortalityhistoryofagroupofpeoplefrombirthtodeath.Toapplylife tableanalyses tothestudyofcohabitationstability,thecohortofpeople isreplacedwithacohortofcohabitations,age isreplacedbyunionduration,anddeath isreplacedbymarriageordissolution(22).Lifetableanalysesaccountforcensoring,atermused inthestatistical literature todenote thattheoutcomeofinterestisunknownat thetimeofobservation(26).Fortheanalysisofageofentryintofirstpremaritalcohabitation,womenaged1544whohadneithercohabitednormarriedby thedateof interviewarereferredtoascensoredbecauseit isunknownwhether theywillformapremaritalcohabitingunionatalatertime.PreviousNSFGreportsonmarriageandcohabitationprovidemoredetailon lifetable techniques(1,22).Inthedescriptionoftheresults,probabilitiesarepresentedaspercentages,suchas thepercentageoffirstpremaritalcohabitationsthattransitionedtomarriageby3years.

Thisreportcontainsestimatesfrombothsingle-decrementandmultiple-decrementlife tables.Forthesingle-decrementlife table,awomanexitsthetableinonlyoneway(e.g.,fromhavingnever

cohabited

to

entering

afirst

premaritalcohabitation).Themultiple-decrementlife tableoperatesundersimilarconditionsasasingle-decrementlife table;however,akeydifferenceisthattherearemultiplewaysaneventcanend,and theseeventsaremutuallyexclusive(27).In thisreport, themultiple-decrement lifetablepresentsestimatesthatafirstpremaritalcohabitationremainedintact,transitioned tomarriage,ordissolvedby3years(Table3).Thecohabitationduration ismeasuredfromthestartofcohabitationto theendofcohabitation,whetheritendedbymarriage,bydissolution,orthroughcensoring.

Statisticsfor thisreportwereproducedusingSASsoftware,Version9.3(http://www.sas.com).Probabilitiesfromsingle-decrementlife tableswerecalculatedusingtheKaplan-MeierprocedureusingSUDAANsoftware(http://www.rti.org/sudaan ).ThismethodaccountsforcensoreddataandNSFGs

complexsurveydesign.SignificantdifferencesbetweenprobabilitiesweretestedusingthePROCSURVIVALprocedureinSUDAAN.

Forfrequencytables,significantdifferencesbetweengroupsweredeterminedbyusing two-tailedttestsatthe5%level.Noadjustmentsweremadeformultiplecomparisons.Termssuchasgreater thanandless thanindicate thatastatisticallysignificantdifferencewasfound.Termssuchassimilarornodifferenceindicatethatthestatisticsbeingcomparedwerenotsignificantlydifferent.Lackofcommentregarding thedifferencebetweenanytwostatisticsdoesnotmeanthat thedifferencewastestedandfoundnot tobesignificant.Thedatapresented

in

this

report

are

bivariate

associationsthatmaybeexplainedbyotherfactorsnotcontrolledfor inthetablesor included inthereport.

Tomakereadingeasierand toremind thereaderthattheresultsarebasedonsamplesandsubject tosamplingerror,percentagesabove10%aregenerallyshownroundedtothenearestwholepercentage.Whenthepercentagebeingcitedisbelow10%,thetextcitesthepercentage to1decimalpoint.In thisreport,percentagesarenotshownifthesampledenominator is lessthan100cases,orifthenumerator islessthan5cases.Thenumeratorsanddenominatorsaremuchlargerformoststatisticspresentedinthisreport.Resultsfromlife tableanalyseswherethesamplesizeswerelessthan100casesarenotshown.Whenapercentageorotherstatisticisnotshownforthesereasons,the tablecontainsanasterisk(*)signifying thatthestatisticdoesnotmeetstandardsofreliabilityorprecision.ResultsMarriageorcohabitationasafirstunion

Onewaytodescribethe increaseinpremaritalcohabitationforwomenovertimeis toshowwhetherherfirstunionwasacohabitationoramarriage.Table1presentstrendsinthetypeoffirstunionforallwomenaged1544in

1995,2002,and20062010.TrendsinfirstpremaritalcohabitationbysubgrouparepresentedbyHispanicoriginandraceandeducation.+ Inmorerecentyears,womenwereincreasinglylikely tocohabitwithapartnerasafirstunionratherthantomarrydirectly:48%ofwomeninterviewedin20062010cohabitedasafirstunion,comparedwith43%in2002and34%in1995(Table1,Figure1).

+Therise incohabitationasafirstunionoverthistimeperiod ledtoalowerpercentageofwomenaged1544whosefirstunionwasamarriage:23%in20062010,comparedwith30% in2002and39%in

1995.

+Anincrease incohabitationasafirstunionforallHispanicoriginandracegroupsoccurredbetween1995and20062010,exceptamongAsianwomen.Thepercentageofwomenwhocohabitedasafirstunionincreased57%forHispanicwomen,43%forwhitewomen,and39%forblackwomenover thistimeperiod.

+ In20062010,70%ofwomenwithlessthanahighschooldiplomacohabitedasafirstunion,comparedwith47%ofwomenwithabachelorsdegreeorhigher.In1995,thedifferencebetween theseeducationgroupswassmallerbutstatisticallysignificant:46%ofwomenwith lessthanahighschooldiplomacohabitedasafirstunioncomparedwith34%ofwomenwithabachelorsdegreeorhigher(Figure2).

Ageatfirstpremaritalcohabitation

Theprobabilityofcohabitingbyages20,25,and30isshowninTable2.Byage18,9%ofwomenaged1544in20062010hadevercohabited(datanotshown).

Byage20,26%ofwomen in20062010hadcohabited,comparedwith23%in2002and19% in1995.Byage25,overone-halfofwomen(55%)in20062010hadcohabited,comparedwith52%in2002and46%in1995.By

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SOURCES: CDC/NCHS, National Survey of Family Growth, 1995, 2002, and 20062010, and Table 1 of this report.

Percent

2834

39

27

43

3029

48

23

0

20

40

60

80

No union Cohabitation Marriage

1995 2002 20062010

Figure1.Typeoffirstunionsamongwomenaged1544:UnitedStates,1995,2002,and20062010

Page4 NationalHealthStatisticsReports n Number64 n April4,2013

NOTES: Analyses of education is limited to women aged 2244 years at the time of interview. GED is General EducationalDevelopment high school equivalency diploma.SOURCES: CDC/NCHS, National Survey of Family Growth, 1995 and 20062010, and Table 1 of this report.

Percent

1995 20062010

4639 39

34

70

6259

47

0

20

40

60

80

Less than high

school

High school diploma

or GED

Some college Bachelor's degree

or higher

Figure2.Percentageofwomenaged2244whosefirstunionwasacohabitation,byeducation:UnitedStates,1995and20062010age30,74%ofwomenin20062010 25.8(1), theresultsfor thesubgroupshadcohabited,comparedwith70% in presentedherefocuson theprobability2002and62%in1995. ofpremaritalcohabitationbyage25.

Because themedianageatfirst+ In20062010,62%ofwomenaged

marriageforwomen in20062010was 2529,61%ofwomenaged3034,

and47%ofwomenaged3544hadcohabitedbyage25.The increaseincohabitationamongyoungerwomensuggestsarising trendinpremaritalcohabitation inrecentyears.

+U.S.-bornHispanicwomenhadthehighestprobability(65%)ofpremaritalcohabitationbyage25,comparedwithwhitewomen(57%),foreign-bornHispanicwomen(53%),andblackwomen(51%).Asianwomenhada lowerprobabilityofcohabitingbyage25(19%),comparedwithotherracegroups.

+Womenwith lessthanahighschooldiplomahadthehighestprobabilityofcohabitingbyage25(76%),comparedwithwomenwithabachelorsdegreeorhigher(36%).

Lengthoffirstpremaritalcohabitation

Since1995, thelength,ormedianduration,offirstpremaritalcohabitationshasincreased,regardlessofwhethertheseunionsremained intact,transitionedtomarriage,orhaddissolvedby thetimeoftheinterview(TableA).Thelengthoffirstpremaritalcohabitationsforwomenaged1544in20062010was22months,comparedwith20months in2002,and13monthsin1995.Cohabitationsthat transitionedtomarriagealso lasted longerin20062010and2002 thanin199521monthsin20062010,19months in2002,and14months in1995.TableBshows themedian lengthoffirstpremaritalcohabitationsforwomenbyagegroup,Hispanicoriginandrace,andeducation:+Cohabitationsamongwomenunder

age20werelonger(25months) thancohabitationsamong thoseaged20andover(1720months).

+The lengthofafirstpremaritalcohabitationwas33monthsforforeign-bornHispanicwomen,27monthsforblackwomen,25monthsforU.S.-bornHispanicwomen,and19monthsforwhitewomen.

+Firstpremaritalcohabitationswerelongerforwomenaged2244withlessthanahighschooldiploma(30months) thanforwomenwitha

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NationalHealthStatisticsReports n Number64 n April4,2013 Page5TableA.Mediandurationoffirstpremaritalcohabitationamongwomenaged1544:UnitedStates,1995,2002,and20062010

OutcomeofcohabitationNumber inthousands Allpremaritalcohabitations Intact Marriage Dissolution

1995 . . . . . . . . . . . 2002 . . . . . . . . . . . 20062010. . . . . . . .

20,317 26,559 29,609

13 20 22

Medianduration(inmonths)22 14 28 19 32 21

11 15 18

NOTE:MedianswerecalculatedusingtheKaplan-Meierprocedure,whichaccounts forcensoring.SOURCE:CDC/NCHS,NationalSurveyofFamilyGrowth,1995,2002,and20062010.

bachelorsdegreeorhigher(17 NSFGwas22months,orabout2years,months). withlongerdurationsforselectedrace

andeducationsubgroups.TheresultsthatfollowdiscusstheoutcomeoftheseOutcomeoffirstpremaritalcohabitationsatthe3-year timepoint.

cohabitationTheseestimateswereobtainedusingthe

Table3

presents

the

percent

multiple-decrement

life

table

method

distributionof theoutcomeoffirst describedin theSourceofthedata

section.premaritalcohabitationsforwomenaged1544in20062010:whetherthe + Fortypercentoffirstpremaritalcohabitationremainedintact, cohabitationsamongwomentransitioned tomarriage,ordissolved. transitionedtomarriageby3years,Themediandurationofpremarital 32%remained intact,and27%cohabitationsamongwomenin the dissolved.

TableB.Mediandurationoffirstpremaritalcohabitationamongwomenaged1544:UnitedStates,20062010

Medianduration

Characteristic (inmonths)

Total1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Ageatfirstcohabitation

Under20years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 2024years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 2529years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 3044years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

HispanicoriginandraceHispanicorLatina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

U.S. born . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Foreign born . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

NotHispanicorLatinaWhite, single race . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 BlackorAfricanAmerican,singlerace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Education2NohighschooldiplomaorGED. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 HighschooldiplomaorGED. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Somecollege,nobachelorsdegree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Bachelorsdegreeorhigher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 1Includeswomenofotherormultiple-raceandorigingroups,andthosewithmissing informationonnativity,notshownseparately. 2Limitedtowomenaged2244yearsatthetimeof interview. GEDisGeneralEducationalDevelopmenthighschoolequivalencydiploma.NOTE:MedianswerecalculatedusingtheKaplan-Meierprocedure,whichaccounts forcensoring.SOURCE:CDC/NCHS,NationalSurveyofFamilyGrowth,20062010.

+Ahigherpercentageoffirstpremaritalcohabitationsamongwhitewomen(44%)andforeign-bornHispanicwomen(42%)transitionedtomarriageby3years,comparedwithcohabitationsforbothU.S.-bornHispanicwomenandblackwomen(31%foreach).

+Almostone-halfofthefirstpremaritalcohabitationsofforeign-bornHispanicwomenremainedintactby3years(46%),followedby41%ofbothblackwomenandU.S.-bornHispanicwomen.

+ Firstpremaritalcohabitationsamongwomenaged2244withhighereducationweremore likely totransition tomarriageby3years.Overone-halfofcohabitationsamongwomenwithabachelorsdegreeorhigherhadtransitionedtomarriage(53%),comparedwith less thanone-thirdofcohabitationsamongwomenwith lessthanahighschooldiploma(30%)(Figure3).

+Ahigherpercentageoffirstpremaritalcohabitationsamongwomenwithlessthanahighschooldiploma(43%)hadremained intactby3years,comparedwith20%ofcohabitationsamongwomenwithabachelorsdegreeorhigher.

Probabilityofapregnancyduringfirstpremaritalcohabitation

Theprobabilityofapregnancywithin thefirst2yearsofawomansfirstpremaritalcohabitationisshowninTable4.Theresultsdiscussedareduringthefirstyearofcohabitation;however,similarresultsareseenat the2-yeartimepoint.+ Since1995, theprobabilityofapregnancywithinacohabitingunionamongwomenaged1544hasincreased,from15%in1995, to18%in2002,andto19%in20062010.

+Nearlyoneinfivewomen in20062010(19%)experiencedapregnancy inthefirstyearofcohabitation.

+Oneoutoffourwomen(25%)whowereunderage20whentheybegancohabitingexperiencedapregnancy

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Page6 NationalHealthStatisticsReports n Number64 n April4,2013

Percent

43

3632

20

3039

40

53

2726

28 27 Dissolved

Marriage

Intact

100

80

60

40

20

0

Less than high High school diploma Some college Bachelor's degreeschool or GED or higher

NOTES: Analyses of education is limited to women aged 2244 years at the time of interview. GED is General EducationalDevelopment high school equivalency diploma.SOURCES: CDC/NCHS, National Survey of Family Growth, 20062010, and Table 3 of this report.

Figure3.Percentageoffirstpremaritalcohabitationsthatdissolved,transitionedtomarriage,orremainedintactby3yearsamongwomenaged2244,byeducation:UnitedStates,20062010in thefirstyear,comparedwithabout1outof12women(8%)whowereaged3044when theybegancohabiting.

+ Fortypercentofforeign-bornHispanicwomenexperiencedapregnancy in thefirstyearofcohabitation,followedby24%ofbothU.S.-bornHispanicwomenandblackwomen,14%ofwhitewomen,and13%ofAsianwomen(Figure4).

+One-thirdofwomenwith lessthanahighschooldiplomaexperiencedapregnancy in thefirstyearofcohabitation(33%),comparedwith5%ofwomenwithabachelorsdegreeorhigher.

Probabilityofmarriageamongcohabitingwomenwithapregnancy

Table5shows theprobabilityofmarriageamong thesubgroupofwomenwhobecamepregnantintheirfirstpremaritalcohabitation,shownat6monthsand1year.Forthisanalysis, theduration ismeasuredfromthemonth thepregnancybeganuntilamarriageoccurred,ifapplicable.The6months

category isaroughindicatorofmarriagebeforethebirthof thechild.Theresultsarediscussedfor6months;however,similarresultsareseenatthe1-yeartimepoint.+By6months, theprobabilityofmarriageamongwomenwhobecamepregnantintheirfirstpremaritalcohabitationwashigher in the1995NSFG(32%)comparedwiththe2002and20062010NSFGs(19%each).

+Theprobabilityofmarriageby6monthsamongwomenwhobecamepregnantintheirfirstpremaritalcohabitationwashigherforwomenwhowerein their twentieswhentheystartedcohabiting(23%26%),comparedwiththoseunderage20(16%).

+Theprobabilityofmarriageby6monthsamongwomenwhobecamepregnantintheirfirstpremaritalcohabitationwas28%amongwhitewomen,comparedwith9%11%forwomen inotherracegroups.

+Theprobabilityofmarriageby6monthsamongwomenwhobecamepregnantintheirfirstpremarital

cohabitationwasthree timeshigherforwomenwithabachelorsdegreeorhigher(45%) thanfor thosewithless thanahighschooldiploma(15%).

Discussionand

Conclusion

Thisreportpresents thelatestestimatesforwomenfromthe20062010NSFGonhowlongfirstpremaritalcohabitations lastedandwhethertheseunions transitioned tomarriage.Trenddatafrom the1995and2002NSFGssupportearlierresearchshowinganincrease inpremaritalcohabitationin theUnitedStates(2,28,29).Thelength,ormedianduration,offirstpremaritalcohabitationsamongwomen in20062010 increasedoverthepastdecadeto22months,upfrom13monthsin1995.Estimatesfromthe20062010NSFGshowedthat40%ofwomensfirstpremaritalcohabitationstransitionedtomarriage,whichislarger than thepercentagesofcohabitingunions thatremainedintact(32%)ordissolved(27%)within thefirst3yearsfollowingunionformation.

TherewasvariationbyHispanicoriginandrace in the incidence,duration,

and

outcome

of

womens

first

premaritalcohabitations.Thepercentageofwomenwhocohabitedbeforemarriage increasedforwomeninallHispanicoriginandracegroups,exceptforAsianwomen.Firstpremaritalcohabitationswerelongestforforeign-bornHispanicwomen(33months)andshortestforwhitewomen(19months).Ahigherpercentageoffirstpremaritalcohabitationsamongwhitewomen(44%)andforeign-bornHispanicwomen(42%)transitionedtomarriageby3years,comparedwithcohabitationsforbothU.S.-bornHispanicwomenandblackwomen(31%each).

Differentcohabitationpatternsbyeducationwerealsoseen.Amongwomenaged2244,premaritalcohabitationincreasedforall levelsofeducation.However,the increasebetween1995and20062010in thepercentageofwomenwhocohabitedbeforemarriagewaslargerforwomenwithless thanahighschooldiploma

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NationalHealthStatisticsReports n Number64 n April4,2013 Page7

SOURCES: CDC/NCHS, National Survey of Family Growth, 20062010, and Table 4 of this report.

Probability

0.40

0.24 0.24

0.13

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

Foreign born,Hispanic

U.S. born,Hispanic

Black White

Figure4.Probabilityofapregnancyleadingtoa livebirth inthefirstyearofafirstpremaritalcohabitationamongwomenaged1544,byHispanicoriginandnativityandrace:UnitedStates,20062010

(46%in1995and70%in20062010)thanforthosewithabachelorsdegreeorhigher(34%and47%,respectively).Womenwith lessthanahighschooldiplomahadlongercohabitations(30months) thanwomenwithabachelorsdegreeorhigher(17months).Thirtypercentoffirstpremaritalcohabitationsamongwomenwith less thanahighschooldiplomatransitioned tomarriageby3years,comparedwithoverone-halfof thosewithabachelorsdegreeorhigher(53%).

Thisreportalsodescribes theprobabilityofpregnancieswithinfirstpremaritalcohabitingunions.Nearlyoneoutoffivewomenexperiencedapregnancy inthefirstyearofafirstpremaritalcohabitation.Probabilitiesofapregnancywerehigheramongwomenwhowereunderage20whentheybegancohabiting,amongforeign-bornHispanicwomen,andamongwomenwith less thanahighschooldiploma.Alongsidethe increaseinfertilitywithincohabitingunionsoverthepastdecadewasadecreasein theprobabilityofmarriageamongwomenwhobecamepregnantinacohabitingunion.These

findingssupport literatureshowinganupwardtrend innonmaritalchildbearingin theUnitedStates(30).

Cohabitationisacommonpartoffamilyformationin theUnitedStates,andservesbothasasteptowardmarriageandasanalternativetomarriage(79).Childbearingoutsideofmarriagecontinuestoincrease,andaboutone-halfofnonmaritalbirthsoccur tocohabitingwomen(3,30).Thisreportshowsdifferencesforwomen inhowlongfirstpremaritalcohabitationslasted,andwhether theseunionstransitionedtomarriage,byHispanicoriginandraceandeducation.NSFG isausefuldatasource thatprovidesup-to-datedescriptionsoffamilyformationandfertilityin theUnitedStates.References1. CopenCE,DanielsK,VespaJ,

MosherWD.FirstmarriagesintheUnitedStates:Datafromthe20062010NationalSurveyofFamilyGrowth.Nationalhealthstatisticsreports;no49.Hyattsville,

MD:NationalCenterforHealthStatistics.2012.Availablefrom:http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr049.pdf.

2. KennedyS,BumpassL.Cohabitationandchildrenslivingarrangements:NewestimatesfromtheUnitedStates.DemogrRes19(47):166392.2008.

3. MartinezGM,DanielsK,ChandraA.Fertilityofmenandwomenaged1544yearsintheUnitedStates:NationalSurveyofFamilyGrowth20062010.Nationalhealthstatisticsreports;no51.Hyattsville,MD:NationalCenterforHealthStatistics.2012.

4. MosherWD,JonesJ,AbmaJC.IntendedandunintendedbirthsintheUnitedStates:19822010.Nationalhealthstatisticsreports;no55.Hyattsville,MD:NationalCenterforHealthStatistics.2012.

5. LoganC,HolcombeE,ManloveJ,RyanS.Theconsequencesofunintendedchildbearing:Awhitepaper.TheNationalCampaigntoPreventTeenandUnplannedPregnancy.2007.Availablefrom:http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/resources/pdf/consequences.pdf.

6. GrovesRM,MosherWD,LepkowskiJM,KirgisNG.PlanninganddevelopmentofthecontinuousNationalSurveyofFamilyGrowth.NationalCenterforHealthStatistics.VitalHealthStat1(48).2009.Availablefrom:http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_01/sr01_048.pdf.

7. SeltzerJA.Familiesformedoutsideofmarriage.JMarriageFam62(4):124768.2000.

8. SmockPJ.CohabitationintheUnitedStates:Anappraisalofresearchthemes,findings,andimplications.AnnuRevSociol26:120.2000.

9. HeuvelineP,TimberlakeJM.Theroleofcohabitationinfamilyformation:TheUnitedStatesincomparativeperspective.JMarriageFam66(5):121430.2004.

10.LichterDT,QianZ,MellottLM.Marriageordissolution?Uniontransitionsamongpoorcohabitingwomen.Demography43(2):22340.2006.

11.OppenheimerVK.Cohabitationandmarriageduringyoungmenscareer-developmentprocess.Demography40(1):12749.2003.

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Page8 NationalHealthStatisticsReports n Number64 n April4,201312.SchwartzCR,MareRM.Trendsin

educationalassortativemarriagefrom1940to2003.Demography42(4):62146.2005.

13.SmockPJ,ManningWD,PorterM.Everythingsthereexceptmoney:Howmoneyshapesdecisionstomarry

among

cohabitors.

JMarriage

Fam67(3):68096.2005.

14.HarknettK,KuperbergA.Education,labormarkets,andtheretreatfrommarriage.SocForces90(1):4164.2011.

15.SchneiderD.Wealthandthemaritaldivide.AJS117(2):62767.2011.

16.LichterDT.Childbearingamongcohabitingwomen:Race,pregnancy,anduniontransitions.In:BoothA,BrownSL,LandaleNS,etal.,eds.EarlyAdulthoodinaFamilyContext.NewYork:SpringerPublishingCompany.20919.2012.17.StanleySM,RhoadesGK,MarkmanHJ.Slidingversusdeciding:Inertiaandthepremaritalcohabitationeffect.FamilyRelations55:499509.2006.

18.SasslerS,MillerAJ.Classdifferencesincohabitationprocesses.FamilyRelations60(2):16377.2011.

19.LepkowskiJM,MosherWD,DavisKE,etal.The20062010NationalSurveyofFamilyGrowth:Sampledesignandanalysisofacontinuoussurvey.NationalCenterforHealthStatistics.VitalHealthStat2(150).2010.Availablefrom:http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_02/sr02_150.pdf.

20.OfficeofManagementandBudget.Revisionstothestandardsfortheclassificationoffederaldataonraceandethnicity.FedRegist62FR5878158790.StatisticalPolicyDirective15.1997.

21.GoodwinPY,MosherWD,ChandraA.MarriageandcohabitationintheUnitedStates:AstatisticalportraitbasedonCycle6(2002)oftheNationalSurveyofFamilyGrowth.NationalCenterforHealthStatistics.VitalHealthStat23(28).2010.Availablefrom:http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_23/sr23_028.pdf.

22.BramlettMD,MosherWD.Cohabitation,marriage,divorce,andremarriagein theUnitedStates.NationalCenterforHealthStatistics.VitalHealthStat23(22).2002.Availablefrom:http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_23/sr23_022.pdf.

23.ReinholdS.Reassessingthelinkbetweenpremaritalcohabitationandmaritalinstability.Demography47(3):71933.2010.

24.ManloveJ,WildsmithE,IkramullahE,RyanS,HolcombeE,ScottM,PetersonK.Uniontransitionsfollowingthebirthofachildtocohabitingparents.PopulResPolicyRev31(3):36186.2012.

25.ManningWD,SmockPJ,MajumdarD.Therelativestabilityofcohabitingandmaritalunionsforchildren.PopulResPolicyRev23:13559.2004.

26.AllisonPD.SurvivalanalysisusingSAS:Apracticalguide.Cary,NC:SASInstituteInc.1995.

27.SchoenR.Modelingmultigrouppopulations.NewYork:PlenumPress.1988.

28.BumpassL,LuHH.TrendsincohabitationandimplicationsforchildrensfamilycontextsintheUnitedStates.PopStudies4(1):2941.2000.

29.LichterDT,TurnerRN,SasslerS.Nationalestimatesoftheriseinserialcohabitation.SocialScienceResearch39(5):75465.2010.

30.VenturaSJ.ChangingpatternsofnonmaritalchildbearingintheUnitedStates.NCHSdatabrief,no18.Hyattsville,MD:NationalCenterforHealthStatistics.2009.

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NationalHealthStatisticsReports n Number64 n April4,2013 Page9Table1.Typeoffirstunionsamongwomenaged1544,byHispanicoriginandraceandeducation:UnitedStates,1995,2002,and20062010

TypeoffirstunionNumber in

Characteristic thousands Total Nounion Cohabitation MarriagePercentdistribution(standarderror)

Total,1 9 9 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

60,201

100.0

27.5

(0.6)

33.7

(0.6)

38.7

(0.6)

Total,2 0 0 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61,561 100.0 26.7 (0.8) 43.1 (0.9) 30.2 (0.9)Total,200620101 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61,755 100.0 29.1 (0.9) 47.9 (1.2) 23.0 (0.9)

HispanicoriginandraceHispanicorLatina

1 9 9 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,702 100.0 28.2 (1.2) 29.6 (1.3) 42.2 (1.6)20062010. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10,474 100.0 27.0 (1.1) 46.6 (1.4) 26.4 (1.3)

U.S.born1 9 9 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,166 100.0 34.8 (1.7) 31.9 (1.6) 33.3 (1.8)20062010. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,369 100.0 37.6 (1.6) 47.2 (1.8) 15.2 (1.6)

Foreignborn1 9 9 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,527 100.0 17.4 (1.9) 25.9 (1.7) 56.7 (2.1)20062010. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,104 100.0 15.8 (1.5) 46.1 (1.9) 38.1 (1.8)

NotHispanicorLatinaWhite,singlerace

1 9 9 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42,154 100.0 24.7 (0.6) 34.5 (0.8) 40.9 (0.8)20062010. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37,384 100.0 27.1 (1.2) 49.4 (1.7) 23.6 (1.3)

BlackorAfricanAmerican,singlerace1 9 9 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,060 100.0 39.4 (1.2) 35.4 (1.1) 25.2 (1.1)20062010. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,451 100.0 38.4 (1.5) 49.2 (1.5) 12.5 (1.2)

Asian,singlerace1 9 9 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,090 100.0 35.3 (5.6) 21.6 (2.1) 43.1 (5.3)20062010. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,456 100.0 32.8 (3.6) 21.9 (3.0) 45.3 (3.4)

Education2NohighschooldiplomaorGED

1995 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,396 100.0 8.5 (0.9) 45.5 (1.7) 46.0 (1.7)20062010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,844 100.0 7.1 (0.8) 70.3 (1.9) 22.6 (2.0)

HighschooldiplomaorGED1995 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18,177 100.0 8.7 (0.6) 39.4 (1.2) 51.9 (1.2)20062010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11,578 100.0 9.4 (0.9) 61.8 (1.4) 28.8 (1.5)

Somecollege,nobachelorsdegree1995 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,362 100.0 16.9 (1.1) 38.8 (1.1) 44.3 (1.1)20062010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13,702 100.0 13.9 (1.0) 58.9 (1.9) 27.1 (1.7)

Bachelorsdegreeorhigher1995 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11,741 100.0 20.2 (0.9) 34.3 (1.2) 45.5 (1.2)20062010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15,083 100.0 18.8 (1.2) 46.6 (2.0) 34.6 (1.9)

1Includeswomenofotherormultiple-raceandorigingroups,andthosewithmissing informationonnativity,notshownseparately. 2Limitedtowomenaged2244yearsatthetimeof interview. GEDisGeneralEducationalDevelopmenthighschoolequivalencydiploma.NOTE:Percentagesmaynotadd to100due torounding.SOURCE:CDC/NCHS,NationalSurveyofFamilyGrowth,1995,2002,and20062010.

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Page10 NationalHealthStatisticsReports n Number64 n April4,2013Table2.Probabilityofafirstpremaritalcohabitationbyages20,25,and30amongwomenaged1544:UnitedStates,1995,2002,and20062010

ProbabilityoffirstpremaritalcohabitationNumber in Age Standard Age Standard Age Standard

Characteristic thousands 20 error 25 error 30 errorTotal1995. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60,201 0.19 0.005 0.46 0.008 0.62 0.010 Total2002 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61,561 0.23 0.008 0.52 0.011 0.70 0.012 Total200620101 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61,755 0.26 0.011 0.55 0.013 0.74 0.012

Ageat interviewUnder20years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10,478 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2024years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10,365 0.30 0.020 . . . . . . . . . . . . 2544years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40,912 0.25 0.011 0.54 0.013 0.73 0.012

2529years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10,535 0.30 0.017 0.62 0.020 . . . . . . 3034years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,188 0.28 0.018 0.61 0.020 0.79 0.014 3544years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21,190 0.20 0.011 0.47 0.015 0.68 0.017

HispanicoriginandraceHispanicorLatina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10,474 0.30 0.015 0.59 0.017 0.76 0.016

U.S. born . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,369 0.34 0.021 0.65 0.019 0.80 0.026 Foreign born . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,104 0.27 0.016 0.53 0.025 0.72 0.024

NotHispanicorLatinaWhite, single race . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37,384 0.26 0.014 0.57 0.018 0.76 0.016 BlackorAfricanAmerican,singlerace . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,451 0.21 0.014 0.51 0.017 0.69 0.021 Asian, single race . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,456 0.07 0.018 0.19 0.035 0.38 0.060

Education2NohighschooldiplomaorGED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,844 0.51 0.022 0.76 0.020 0.88 0.014 HighschooldiplomaorGED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11,578 0.35 0.018 0.64 0.019 0.79 0.017 Somecollege,nobachelorsdegree. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13,702 0.24 0.015 0.59 0.017 0.77 0.015 Bachelorsdegreeorhigher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15,083 0.08 0.010 0.36 0.019 0.61 0.022 . . . Categorynotapplicable.1Includeswomenofotherormultiple-raceandorigingroups,andthosewithmissing informationonnativity,notshownseparately. 2Limitedtowomenaged2244yearsatthetimeof interview. GEDisGeneralEducationalDevelopmenthighschoolequivalencydiploma.SOURCE:CDC/NCHS,NationalSurveyofFamilyGrowth,1995,2002,and20062010.

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Page12 NationalHealthStatisticsReports n Number64 n April4,2013Table4.Probabilityofapregnancywithin2yearsofafirstpremaritalcohabitationamongwomenaged1544:UnitedStates,1995,2002,and20062010

Cohabitationduration1year 2years

Characteristic Number inthousands Probability Standarderror Probability StandarderrorTotal1995. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Total2002. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Total200620101 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

AgeatfirstpremaritalcohabitationUnder20years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2024years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2529years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3044years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

HispanicoriginandraceHispanicorLatina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

U.S. born . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Foreign born . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

NotHispanicorLatinaWhite, single race . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BlackorAfricanAmerican,singlerace . . . . . . . . . . . . . Asian, single race . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Education2NohighschooldiplomaorGED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HighschooldiplomaorG E D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Somecollege,nobachelorsdegree. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bachelorsdegreeorhigher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

20,317 26,559 29,609

13,393 11,131

3,829 1,255

4,884 2,533 2,351

18,451 4,154

538

4,810 7,149 8,076 7,034

0.15 0.18 0.19

0.25 0.15 0.13 0.08

0.32 0.24 0.40 0.14 0.24 0.13

0.33 0.24 0.18 0.05

0.007 0.009 0.009

0.015 0.013 0.018 0.022

0.020 0.029 0.030 0.011 0.018 0.039

0.021 0.020 0.014 0.009

0.26 0.29 0.31

0.41 0.25 0.20 0.13

0.50 0.41 0.59 0.23 0.40 0.24

0.53 0.38 0.27 0.10

0.011 0.013 0.013

0.019 0.016 0.031 0.030

0.029 0.044 0.030 0.014 0.026 0.088

0.027 0.024 0.021 0.015

1Includeswomenofotherormultiple-raceandorigingroups,andthosewithmissing informationonnativity,notshownseparately. 2Limitedtowomenaged2244yearsatthetimeof interview. GEDisGeneralEducationalDevelopmenthighschoolequivalencydiploma.NOTE:This table includesonlypregnanciesending ina livebirth.SOURCE:CDC/NCHS,NationalSurveyofFamilyGrowth,1995,2002,and20062010.

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NationalHealthStatisticsReports n Number64 n April4,2013 Page13Table5.Probabilityofmarriagewithin1yearofapregnancyinafirstpremaritalcohabitationamongwomenaged1544,bycohabitationdurationsincepregnancy:UnitedStates,20062010

Cohabitation duration(sincepregnancy)6months 1year

Characteristic Number inthousands Probability Standarderror Probability StandarderrorTotal1995. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Total2002. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Total200620101 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

AgeatfirstpremaritalcohabitationUnder20years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2024years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2529years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

HispanicoriginandraceHispanicorLatina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

U.S. born . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Foreign born . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

NotHispanicorLatinaWhite, single race . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BlackorAfricanAmerican,singlerace . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Education2NohighschooldiplomaorGED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HighschooldiplomaorG E D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Somecollege,nobachelorsdegree. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bachelorsdegreeorhigher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4,110 6,810 8,848

5,437 2,543

700

2,346 1,020 1,326 4,083 1,647

2,616 2,702 2,271

616

0.32 0.19 0.19

0.16 0.23 0.26

0.10 0.09 0.10 0.28 0.11

0.15 0.17 0.20 0.45

0.019 0.025 0.014

0.018 0.030 0.056

0.017 0.022 0.024 0.024 0.027

0.027 0.026 0.024 0.060

0.44 0.28 0.26

0.24 0.30 0.30

0.16 0.16 0.16 0.37 0.16

0.19 0.30 0.27 0.53

0.021 0.028 0.016

0.021 0.033 0.056

0.022 0.025 0.033 0.027 0.030

0.027 0.034 0.027 0.049

1Includeswomenofotherormultiple-raceandorigingroups,andthosewithmissing informationonnativity,notshownseparately. 2Limitedtopersonsaged2244yearsatthetimeof interview. GEDisGeneralEducationalDevelopmenthighschoolequivalencydiploma.NOTES:Thesubgroupofwomenaged3044whobecamepregnantintheir firstpremaritalcohabitationwas tosmall toshowseparately. This tables includesonlypregnanciesendingina livebirth.SOURCE:CDC/NCHS,NationalSurveyofFamilyGrowth,1995,2002,and20062010.

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Page14 NationalHealthStatisticsReports n Number64 n April4,2013

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NationalHealthStatisticsReports n Number64 n April4,2013 Page15TechnicalNotesDefinitionofterms

FurtherdetailsonthevariablesusedinthisreportareprovidedinpreviousNationalSurveyofFamilyGrowthreports(e.g.,reference1).

AgeatfirstpremaritalcohabitationCalculatedasthenumberofmonthsbetweenthedateofbirth(computedvariableCMBIRTH)andthedateoffirstpremaritalcohabitation(recodevariableCOHAB1)dividedby12.Intheanalysisofentryintoafirstpremaritalcohabitation,womenareatriskofenteringafirstpremaritalcohabitationuntilamarriageoccurredorthedateoftheinterview(i.e.,theyarecensored).

CohabitationdissolutionWhenthewomanandherfirstpremaritalcohabitingpartnerstopped livingtogetherforthe lasttime.

CohabitationstatusrelativetofirstmarriageWhether therespondenthadevercohabited,andifso,whetherthefirstcohabitationwasbeforeorafterfirstmarriage(recodevariableCOHSTAT).

FirstpremaritalcohabitationdurationCalculatedasthenumberofmonths

elapsed

from

the

beginning

of

thefirstpremaritalcohabitation totheend,eitherbymarriage,bydissolution,orthroughcensoringat the timeof theinterviewfor intactcohabitingunions(recodevariableCOH1DUR).

Multiple-decrement lifetableDescribestransitionsoutoffirstpremaritalcohabitingunions.Firstpremaritalcohabitingunionscouldremainintact, transitiontomarriage,ordissolve.Percentdistributionsderivedfromthelife tablesurvivorfunctionarepresented inTable3.Thesepercentagesrepresent thedistributionofwomenineachstateat thespecified timepoint.AnSASmacrowasusedtocalculate themultiple-decrement lifetableestimates(27).Further informationaboutthisprocedure isavailableathttp://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data_access/space.htm.

OutcomeoffirstpremaritalcohabitationIndicates theoutcomeofthefirstpremaritalcohabitationat the

timeof interview:whether thecohabitationwas intact,had transitionedtoamarriage,orhaddissolvedwithoutmarriage(recodevariableCOHOUT).

PregnancieswithfirstpremaritalcohabitingpartnerPregnancies thatarespondenthashadwithherfirstpremaritalcohabitingpartnerweredeterminedbycomparingthedatewhenherpregnancybegan(recodevariableDATCON)forpregnanciesending inlivebirths(recodevariableOUTCOM)withthedateofherfirstpremaritalcohabitation(recodevariablesCOHAB1andCOHSTATrespectively),todetermineifshehadanypregnancieswiththispartnerduringthecohabitation.

UnionRefers to twodifferenttypesofco-residentialrelationships:amarriageorcohabitation.

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U.S.DEPARTMENTOFHEALTH&HUMANSERVICESCenters forDiseaseControlandPreventionNationalCenter forHealthStatistics3311ToledoRoadHyattsville,MD20782

FIRSTCLASSMAILPOSTAGE&FEESPAID

CDC/NCHSPERMITNO.G-284

OFFICIALBUSINESSPENALTYFORPRIVATEUSE,$300

NationalHealthStatisticsReports n Number64 n April4,2013Acknowledgments

The20062010NationalSurveyofFamilyGrowth(NSFG)wasconductedby theCentersforDiseaseControlandPreventions(CDC)NationalCenterforHealthStatistics(NCHS)with thesupportandassistanceofanumberofotherorganizationsand individuals.Interviewingandothertaskswereperformedby theUniversityofMichigansSurveyResearchCenter, InstituteforSocialResearch,underacontractwithNCHS.The20062010NSFGwasjointlyplannedand fundedby thefollowingprogramsandagenciesof theU.S.DepartmentofHealthandHumanServices: EuniceKennedyShriverNationalInstitute forChildHealthandHumanDevelopment OfficeofPopulationAffairs NationalCenter forHealthStatistics,CDC DivisionofHIV/AIDSPrevention,CDC DivisionofSexuallyTransmittedDiseasePrevention,CDC DivisionofReproductiveHealth,CDC DivisionofBirthDefectsandDevelopmentalDisabilities,CDC DivisionofCancerPreventionandControl,CDC ChildrensBureauof theAdministrationforChildrenandFamilies(ACF) OfficeofPlanning,Research,andEvaluation,ACF Officeof theAssistantSecretaryforPlanningandEvaluationNCHSgratefullyacknowledgesthecontributionsoftheseprogramsandagencies,andallotherswhoassisted indesigningand implementingthe20062010NSFG.Thisreportwaspreparedunder thegeneraldirectionofCharlesJ.Rothwell,ActingDirectorof theNationalCenter forHealthStatistics,andStephanieJ.Ventura,ChiefoftheReproductiveStatisticsBranchofNCHSDivisionofVitalStatistics(DVS).Theauthorsarealsograteful forthevaluablecommentsonearlierdraftsprovidedbyStephanieVentura;RobertAnderson,DVSActingco-AssociateDirectorforScience;JenniferMadans,NCHSAssociateDirectorforScience;VanParsons,statisticianwithNCHSOfficeofResearchandMethodology;andDanielLichter,ProfessorofPolicyAnalysisandManagementandSociologyandDirectorof theCornellPopulationCenteratCornellUniversity.Theauthorswouldalso like tothankVeenaBillioux,IsaedmarieFebo-Vzquez,andYashodharaPatel fortheirhelpfulcontributions inthepreparationofthisreport.ThereportwasproducedbyCDC/OSELS/NCHS/OD/OfficeofInformationServices,InformationDesignandPublishingStaff:DanielleWoodsedited thereport; typesettingwasdonebyAnnetteHolman;andgraphicswereproducedbySarahHinkle.

SuggestedcitationCopenCE,DanielsK,MosherWD.Firstpremaritalcohabitation in theUnitedStates:20062010NationalSurveyofFamilyGrowth.Nationalhealthstatisticsreports;no64.Hyattsville,MD:NationalCenterforHealthStatistics.2013.

CopyrightinformationAllmaterialappearing inthisreport is in thepublicdomainandmaybereproducedorcopiedwithoutpermission;citationas tosource,however, isappreciated.

NationalCenterforHealthStatisticsCharlesJ.Rothwell,M.S.,ActingDirector

JenniferH.Madans,Ph.D.,AssociateDirectorforScience

DivisionofVitalStatisticsDeltonAtkinson,M.P.H.,M.P.H.,P.M.P.,

ActingDirectorForfreee-mailupdatesonNCHSpublicationreleases,subscribeonlineat:http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/govdelivery.htm.

Forquestionsorgeneral informationaboutNCHS:Tel:18002324636E-mail:[email protected] Internet:http://www.cdc.gov/nchsDHHSPublicationNo.(PHS)20131250CS238269