The Marriage Paradox

Brian J. Willoughby, PhD, is an associate professor in the School of Family Life at Brigham Young University. Dr. Willoughby is considered an international expert in the field of couple and marital relationships, sexuality, and emerging adult development. His research generally focuses on how adolescents, young adults, and adults move toward and form long-term committed relationships. Spencer L. James, PhD, is an assistant professor in the School of Family Life at Brigham Young University. As a family demographer, Dr. James is interested in the ways people form, maintain, and dissolve long-term romantic relationships, especially during emerging adulthood. He draws primarily on nationally representative longitudinal datasets and advanced statistical methods to answer questions about contemporary trends in marital and cohabiting relationships.

Series Foreword
Acknowledgments

Introduction: The Marriage Paradox

Chapter 1: Modern Marriage and Emerging Adulthood in the United States
Chapter 2: Dating, Hooking-up, and Love: Relationships during Emerging Adulthood
Chapter 3: Why Marriage Still Matters: Understanding Marital Paradigms During Emerging Adulthood
Chapter 4: I Want to Get Married Just Not Right Now
Chapter 5: Marriage is Important Just Not That Important
Chapter 6: Finding the Right Person to Marry
Chapter 7: The Influence of Parents and Families
Chapter 8: Social Influences and Marriage
Chapter 9: Gender and Gender Role Expectations
Chapter 10: The Counter-Culture of Married Emerging Adults
Chapter 11: Looking Ahead: The Future of the Marriage Paradox

Appendix
References
About the Authors
Index