Father Involvement, Relationship Quality and Transitions out of Cohabitation through Marriage or Separation

Lauren Rinelli, Bowling Green State University

There has been a vast increase in the proportion of nonmarital births in the United States. A significant proportion of these births are to cohabiting parents. While the prevelance of births to cohabiting couples, as well as union transitions during conception and after the birth, have been well documented, the processes leading to union transitions have not been fully examined. Using data from four waves of the Fragile Families and Child Well-Being Study, this research examines the role of father involvement and relationship quality in the union transitions of cohabiting parents within five years following the birth of a child.