Table 1:

Hypothesized patterns of marriage intentions/desires for the three pathways to later and less marriage

Pathway to later and less marriage	(1) Marriage intentions/desires	(2) SES differences	(3) Trajectories	(4) Outcomes
Rejection of marriage	Intend/desire to remain unmarried	Concentrated among high-SES women and highly educated men	Stable intentions/desires to remain unmarried	Intentions/desires to remain unmarried account for lower marriage rates among high-SES women and highly educated men
Failure to realize intentions/desires to marry	Intend/desire to marry	Higher among low-SES women and men	Stable intentions/desires to marry	Stronger intentions/desires to marry account for higher rates of marriage among low-SES women. Lower likelihood of realizing intentions/desires among low-SES men and women
Unplanned drifting into singlehood	Passive or ambivalent marriage intentions/desires	Mixed: (a) higher among high-SES in search theory and gender equity theories, (b) higher among low-SES in emphases on passivity	Stable passive or ambivalent intentions/desires (or inconsistent intentions/desires)	Could account for lower marriage rates among both high-SES and low-SES men and women. Lower likelihood of realizing passive intentions/desires among low-SES men and women