Family Background, School and Early Marriage

Longitudinal data from a national probability sample ofA merican women reveal the central influence offamily background on timing of marriages during high school ages (ages 14-17). Families appear to influence marriage timing indirectly, through impact on school as an alternative to marriage. Black girls more often come from families with attributes which lead to early marriage, but they are only about half as likely to form early marriages as white girls from similar educational and family backgrounds. High ruraland low suburban rates ofearly marriages for whites are consequences of differing family socioeconomic patterns by size of place.