by heather on
May 09, 2008 at 12:46 am
Article: Attitudes Toward gay Marriage in States Undergoing Marriage Law Transformation. Journal of Marriage and Family, May 2008.
Summary: The battle over gay marriage has been waging on in American society, with some individuals and organizations fighting to preserve the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman, and others attempting to expand this right to gays and lesbians. Stacey Brumbaugh, Laura Sanchez, Steven Nock, and James Wright (Journal of Marriage and Family, May 2008) examine attitudes surrounding gay marriage in three states that have considered “covenant marriage legislation,” designed to preserve marriage by establishing more strict marriage requirements.
While others have examined who is most likely to oppose gay marriage, this study uses survey data from Louisiana, Arizona, and Minnesota to examine directly “the relationship between willingness to strengthen marriage for heterosexuals and opposition to gay marriage.” In line with past findings, blacks and men are more disapproving of gay marriage than whites and women. Not surprisingly, more religious and politically conservative individuals were also more opposed. While Louisianans were generally more disapproving of gay marriage than Minnesotans, this state-level effect was not significant when religious, political, and social attitudes were taken into consideration.
by heather on
May 08, 2008 at 11:39 pm
Article: Religiousness and Infidelity: Attendance, but not Faith and Prayer, Predict Marital Fidelity, Journal of Marriage and Family (May 2008)
Summary: It’s no surprise to hear that religiousness is linked to a decreased likelihood of marital infidelity. But David Atkins and Deborah Kessel (Journal of Marriage and Family, May 2008) look a little closer at this relationship and ask what exactly about religion keeps spouses from coveting their neighbors’ wives. Contrary to what some may expect, the authors found that religious attendance, but not faith and prayer, predict marital fidelity.
Using data from the 1998 General Social Survey, the authors constructed nine different ways of measuring religiousness: nearness to God, attendance, prayer, viewing religion as a problem, transformation, doubts, forgiveness, faith, and a punitive view of God. The authors found that religious attendance was the only measure that significantly predicted rates of infidelity. Individuals who rarely if ever attend services are about four times more likely to have an affair compared to those who attend religious services with great frequency. Higher education, extreme high ($110,000 or more) or low (under $10,000) income, previous divorce, and marital unhappiness were also predictors of infidelity.
These findings go against the idea that personal beliefs are just as powerful as public religious attendance, at least when it comes to fidelity. Moreover, the authors find that “endorsing religion as being very important without the behavioral component of attending services was positively associated with infidelity.” The authors argue religious attendance prevents infidelity because it is often a shared activity among spouses, implying shared values, and opens up cheaters to shame and embarrassment from a community if revealed. It appears that dragging your spouse to church on Sunday morning may do more than restore their faith in God.
by heather on
Jan 17, 2008 at 11:22 pm
Article: Joining up: Did military service in the early all volunteer era affect subsequent civilian income? Social Science Research, December 2007
Summary: “The military has historically been the single largest employer of young men and the largest vocational training institution in the nation.” So how are the benefits? Jay Teachman and Lucky Tedrow examine the long-term impact of military service on men’s income and find that military service gives young men from disadvantaged backgrounds an income boost while they’re active, but things tend to even out for enlistees once discharged. Furthermore, white veterans with at least a high school degree suffer an income deficit when compared to their civilian counterparts.
“Nearly two decades following discharge from the military (and net of many important controls, including several attempts to adjust for selectivity), better educated White veterans earn about 87% of the income enjoyed by their nonveteran counterparts. Thus, on the face of the matter, military service does not appear to be a wise economic choice for many men who could otherwise do better by remaining in the civilian labor market. They lose critical labor market experience and likely lose important information about job networks.”
The noteworthy exception to this trend is that Blacks with less than a high school education receive an income premium from their service. These results have important implications for military recruitment efforts.
by heather on
Jan 17, 2008 at 9:13 pm
Article: The Association of Couples’ Relationship Status and Quality with Breastfeeding Initiation Journal of Marriage and Family, December 2007
Summary: In a recent study, Christina M. Gibson-Davis and Jeanne Brooks-Gunn weigh in on the growing debate over whether diverse family forms influence child well-being. Looking at data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Survey, the authors examine the links between relationship status, relationship quality, and race and ethnicity in breastfeeding initiation. In line with previous findings, the authors conclude that married women are more likely to breastfeed than mothers in other family forms. At the same time, however, the variability between cohabiting, non-cohabiting partners, and non-romantically involved parents should not be downplayed. Another noteworthy finding is that non-married mothers who received paternal financial support during pregnancy were half as likely to breastfeed. Among non-married African American mothers, paternal emotional support also decreased the likelihood of breastfeeding by 28%.
by heather on
Jan 17, 2008 at 8:06 pm
Article: Support Between Siblings and Between Friends: Two Worlds Apart? Journal of Marriage and Family, December 2007
Summary: Using data from a Dutch survey study, Marieke Voorpostel and Tanja Van Der Lippe examine how the type of support received differs between friends and siblings. The authors find that, on average, siblings exchange more practical support - such as housework or transportation - while friends exchange more emotional support. An intriguing finding is that geographical distance has a negative effect on the exchange of practical support, but was positively related with the exchange of emotional support. In other words, the authors explain:
The further siblings and friends lived apart, the more likely emotional support was received.