Table 1.
Characteristics of Women Age 18–44, by Union Status
| Column A |
Column B |
Column C |
Column D |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Women | Married, no cohabitation | Cohabitors (All) | Single, currently dating | |
| Background characteristics | Mean | Mean | Mean | Mean |
| Lived with both parents (reference) | ||||
| Lived with both parents (reference) | 61.0% | 75.7% b | 60.2% | 57.9% a |
| Lived with single parent | 16.6% | 10.3% b | 15.5% | 19.8% a,b |
| Lived with step- & biological parent | 17.2% | 10.1% b | 19.0% | 16.7% a,b |
| Lived with no biological parents | 5.2% | 3.8% b | 5.3% | 5.5% |
| Parents not married at time of birth | 23.8% | 9.4% b | 22.8% | 29.3% a,b |
| Mother's education Less than high school | 18.9% | 20.4% | 19.4% | 17.7% |
| High school degree (reference) | 31.2% | 27.1% b | 32.1% | 31.3% a |
| Some college | 28.5% | 23.8% b | 29.2% | 28.9% a |
| College degree | 21.4% | 28.7% b | 19.3% | 22.2% a,b |
| Age at interview | 27.09 | 28.84 b | 27.34 | 26.22 a |
| Age at first sex with most recent partner | ||||
| Mean | 23.73 | 23.63 b | 23.07 | 24.68 a |
| <18 | 8.2% | 7.4% b | 10.2% | 5.7% b |
| 18–20 | 25.6% | 23.5% | 25.6% | 26.4% |
| 21–24 (reference) | 30.0% | 35.1% | 31.1% | 27.0% a,b |
| 25–29 | 20.8% | 19.6% | 22.4% | 18.9% b |
| 30+ | 15.4% | 14.4% b | 10.7% | 22.1% a,b |
| Race | ||||
| White (reference) | 58.8% | 62.7% | 64.7% | 49.3% a,b |
| Black | 18.2% | 11.0% | 12.6% | 28.3% a,b |
| Hispanic | 17.3% | 16.9% | 17.8% | 16.6% |
| Other | 5.7% | 9.5% b | 4.9% | 5.8% a |
| Respondent’s education (at interview) Less than high school | 12.9% | 7.0% b | 13.5% | 13.9% a |
| High school degree | 26.1% | 16.6% b | 25.9% | 29.1% a,b |
| Some college (reference) | 32.6% | 27.1% | 30.8% | 36.9% a,b |
| College degree | 28.3% | 49.3% b | 29.8% | 20.1% a,b |
| Finished HS by first sex with most recent part | 71.2% | 80.0% b | 68.8% | 72.0% a,b |
| Relationship characteristics | ||||
| Cohort of relationship start year | ||||
| 1996–2000 | 8.1% | 15.2% | 11.4% | 1.6% a,b |
| 2001–2003 | 14.9% | 27.0% b | 18.9% | 5.7% a,b |
| 2004–2006 | 25.8% | 26.8% | 29.2% | 20.7% a,b |
| 2007–2009 | 26.9% | 19.4% | 23.3% | 34.2% a,b |
| 2010–2012 | 24.3% | 11.6% b | 17.3% | 37.8% a,b |
| Number of other sexual partners | 5.39 | 2.42 b | 5.41 | 6.24 a,b |
| Respondent previously cohabited | 33.4% | 13.0% b | 32.5% | 40.6% a,b |
| Respondent had child prior to union | 18.5% | 7.6% | 17.1% | 23.7% a,b |
| Respondent is ever pregnant during union | 18.8% | 17.9% | 17.9% | 20.3% |
| Time to marriage or cohabitation, in months | 17.32 | 18.90 b | 12.85 | n/a |
| Share of sample | 100.0% | 9.0% | 46.5% | 44.5% |
| Observations | 6,086 | 545 | 2,831 | 2,710 |
Source: 2006–10 and 2011–13 NSFG Female respondent file. Women between the ages of 18–44. Restricted to relationships that started between 1–10 years prior to the interview date.
"a"
Note: indicates significant difference from direct marriers
"b"
indicates significant difference from cohabitors at the p<.05 level.