Includes bibliographical references (p. [391]-428) and index
I. Historical and conceptual issues : Introduction -- Historical perspectives on marriage -- Comparing marriage, cohabitation, and being single -- Entering marital and cohabiting unions -- II. Parental factors during childhood and adolescence : Influence of parental youth factors before birth of study child -- Influence of parental factors during childhood and adolescence of the children -- III. Parental and child factors during the children's young adulthood : The courtship process and union formation -- Religious affiliation and commitment -- The influence of attitudes, values, and beliefs -- Educational influences -- Work, earnings potential, and career aspiration -- IV. Integration and summary of effects : Conclusions -- Appendix: A. Technical explanation of estimation of total, direct, and indirect effects ; B. Conceptualization and estimating union formation rates ; C. Description of measures used in chapters 5 through 11 ; D. Constructing measures of earnings potential for use in chapter 11
