Changing Places: Conjugal Careers and Women's Marital Mobility

This paper investigates the relationship between the socioeconomic status of successive husbands for two national samples of women who married two or more times. Socioeconomic homogamy, as indicated by the educational attainment and occupational status of spouses, is quite similar in first and second marriages for both cohorts. On average, the socioeconomic standing of husbands in subsequent marriages is about equal to those in previous marriages, when one adjusts for the career trajectories of the men involved. Socioeconomic variables, timing, and the presence of children all influence the chances of finding an accomplished second husband. The implications of these findings for the welfare of children of disrupted families and for future trends in the socioeconomic homogamy are discussed.