Moving from cohabitation to marriage: effects on relationship quality

Data from both waves of the National Survey of Families and Households are used to test whether marriage is associated with an improvement in the relationship quality of cohabitors. Cohabitors who marry report higher levels of relationship happiness as well as lower levels of relationship instability, disagreements, and violent conflict resolution than those who remain cohabiting, net of time one relationship quality and sociodemographic controls. Relationship fairness and interaction are not significantly associated with marriage. However, the one-third of long-term cohabitors who report marriage plans at reinterview enjoy levels of relationship quality that do not significantly differ from those of cohabitors who marry. Thus, marriage per se does not spur increases in relationship quality. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.