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Author: Perry, Samuel L.
Resulting in 1 citation.
1. Wolfinger, Nicholas H.
Perry, Samuel L.
Does a Longer Sexual Resume Affect Marriage Rates?
Social Science Research published online (11 October 2022): 102800.
Also: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0049089X22001119
Cohort(s): NLSY97
Publisher: Elsevier
Keyword(s): Marital Status; National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG); Sexual Activity

Sociologists have proposed numerous theories for declining marriage rates in the United States, often highlighting demographic, economic, and cultural factors. One controversial theory contends that having multiple non-marital sex partners reduces traditional incentives for men to get married and simultaneously undermines their prospects in the marriage market. For women, multiple partners purportedly reduces their desirability as spouses by evoking a gendered double-standard about promiscuity. Though previous studies have shown that having multiple premarital sex partners is negatively associated with marital quality and stability, to date no research has examined whether having multiple non-marital sex partners affects marriage rates. Data from four waves of the National Survey of Family Growth reveal that American women who report more sex partners are less likely to get married by the time of the survey (though so too were virgins). Yet this finding is potentially misleading given the retrospective and cross-sectional nature of the data. Seventeen waves of prospective data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth's 1997 mixed-gender cohort that extend through 2015 show the association between non-marital sex partners and marriage rates is temporary: recent sex partners predict lower odds of marriage, but not lifetime non-marital sex partners. Seemingly unrelated bivariate probit models suggest the short-term association likely reflects a causal effect. Our findings ultimately cast doubt on recent scholarship that has implicated the ready availability of casual sex in the retreat from marriage. Rather, the effect of multiple sex partners on marriage rates is "seasonal" for most Americans.
Bibliography Citation
Wolfinger, Nicholas H. and Samuel L. Perry. "Does a Longer Sexual Resume Affect Marriage Rates?" Social Science Research published online (11 October 2022): 102800.