138 AMERICAN SOCIOLOGICAL REVIEW Table 1.Sample Means by Race and Sex for Variables Used in Analysis of Transition to First Marriage:Men and Women,Age 22,from the National Longitudinal Surveys of Young Women(NLSW),Young Men (NLSM),and Youth (NLSY) White Women Black Women White Men Black Men Early Late Early Late Early Late Early Late Independent Variable Cohort Cohort Cohort Cohort Cohort Cohort Cohort Cohort Earnings (log) .74 .75 .71 .72 .80 .79 .79 .75 No income .16 .11 .26 28 .03 .05 .06 .11 Educational attainment: Less than 12 years .10 .08 32 .17 .10 .13 .28 .22 12 years .48 .45 .43 38 .45 ,49 13 to 15 years .29 28 .19 .28 .17 .22 16 or more years .12 16 03 05 ,12 .12 .03 .04 Currently enrolled in ,13 19 2 .2 .11 .13 school Currently employed .65 .70 72 .69 .65 .55 Service in military .12 07 .13 .10 Family Background Variablesa Two-parent family at age 14 87 .80 .60 .86 .79 .63 .50 Family head's job is 29 .29 04 7 26 .28 04 .06 professional or managerial Mother's education: Less than 12 years .31 .25 .66 .49 .36 22 68 .45 12 years .45 .48 .14 31 .43 .51 .11 33 13 or more years .20 .24 .05 .12 .16 .22 04 .14 Residence Lives in South .27 .29 .55 .57 .24 .27 .51 .49 Lives in SMSA .70 .69 .73 .73 .61 .63 51 .66 Number of cases 1,203 1.474 517 877 1,440 1,608 471961 Note:Sample means are weighted a Measured at the time of the first interview. sumption that having some earnings is quali- from time spent in school,I constructed an tatively different from having no earnings. additional measure indicating current school Consistent with other national data,the enrollment.A dummy variable indicates em- NLS cohorts show some growth over time in ployment at the time of interview.For men, women's earnings and some decline in men's an additional measure indicated whether re- earnings,particularly among black men. spondents were on active duty in the military Consistent with national trends in education, (these men are coded 0 on the employment some decline over time is seen in the com- variable),as military service has been found pleted education of young white men,likely to impact marital transitions in prior re- reflecting the opportunity to postpone service search.Given the timing of the Vietnam War, in the Vietnam War by extending one's time it is not surprising that substantially more in school (Bernhardt et al.1999:Mare 1995) early-cohort than late-cohort men were en- and the related higher rates of military par- listed in the military at age 22. ticipation among less educated men.To dis- As prior research has found that family tinguish effects of accumulated education background characteristics are related to This content downloaded from 128.103.149.52 on Mon,12 Aug 2013 19:18:11 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions138 AMERICAN SOCIOLOGICAL REVIEW Table 1. Sample Means by Race and Sex for Variables Used in Analysis of Transition to First Marriage: Men and Women, Age 22, from the National Longitudinal Surveys of Young Women (NLSW), Young Men (NLSM), and Youth (NLSY) White Women Black Women White Men Black Men Early Late Early Late Early Late Early Late Independent Variable Cohort Cohort Cohort Cohort Cohort Cohort Cohort Cohort Earnings (log) .74 .75 .71 .72 .80 .79 .79 .75 No income .16 .11 .26 .28 .03 .05 .06 .11 Educational attainment: Less than 12 years .10 .08 .32 .17 .10 .13 .28 .22 12 years .48 .45 .43 .47 .38 .45 .42 .49 13 to 15 years .29 .28 .19 .30 .31 .28 .17 .22 16 or more years .12 .16 .03 .05 .12 .12 .03 .04 Currently enrolled in .13 .19 .12 .16 .20 .21 .11 .13 school Currently employed .65 .70 .52 .51 .72 .69 .65 .55 Service in military .12 .07 .13 .10 Family Background Variables a Two-parent family at age 14 .87 .80 .60 .45 .86 .79 .63 .50 Family head's job is .29 .29 .04 .07 .26 .28 .04 .06 professional or managerial Mother's education: Less than 12 years .31 .25 .66 .49 .36 .22 .68 .45 12 years .45 .48 .14 .31 .43 .51 .11 .33 13 or more years .20 .24 .05 .12 .16 .22 .04 .14 Residence Lives in South .27 .29 .55 .57 .24 .27 .51 .49 Lives in SMSA .70 .69 .73 .73 .61 .63 .51 .66 Number of cases 1,203 1,474 517 877 1,440 1,608 471 961 Note: Sample means are weighted. a Measured at the time of the first interview. sumption that having some earnings is quali￾tatively different from having no earnings. Consistent with other national data, the NLS cohorts show some growth over time in women's earnings and some decline in men's earnings, particularly among black men. Consistent with national trends in education, some decline over time is seen in the com￾pleted education of young white men, likely reflecting the opportunity to postpone service in the Vietnam War by extending one's time in school (Bernhardt et al. 1999; Mare 1995) and the related higher rates of military par￾ticipation among less educated men. To dis￾tinguish effects of accumulated education from time spent in school, I constructed an additional measure indicating current school enrollment. A dummy variable indicates em￾ployment at the time of interview. For men, an additional measure indicated whether re￾spondents were on active duty in the military (these men are coded 0 on the employment variable), as military service has been found to impact marital transitions in prior re￾search. Given the timing of the Vietnam War, it is not surprising that substantially more early-cohort than late-cohort men were en￾listed in the military at age 22. As prior research has found that family background characteristics are related to This content downloaded from 128.103.149.52 on Mon, 12 Aug 2013 19:18:11 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions