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7.7: Marriage Patterns and Mate Selection

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    324899
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    Marriage rates and patterns vary significantly by race and ethnicity, reflecting both cultural values and structural opportunities. African Americans have the lowest marriage rates and the highest rates of marital dissolution in the U.S. (Raley, Sweeney, and Wondra 2015). Symbolic Interactionists might explore the changing meanings of marriage in communities where it is less common. However, structural factors are paramount. The marriage squeeze describes a shortage of “marriageable” men, driven by high mortality, incarceration, and unemployment rates among Black men (Wilson 1987). When economic stability is precarious, couples may postpone or forgo marriage, a pattern seen across class lines but concentrated in disadvantaged groups.


    7.7: Marriage Patterns and Mate Selection is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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