Trajectories of relationship supportiveness after childbirth: Does marriage matter?

- We analyze couple supportiveness over nine years after a baby's birth.
- We compare married and unmarried (cohabiting and dating) couples and examine unmarried couples who get married.
- We find that marriage at birth is protective of couple supportiveness.
- Yet, marriage does not distinguish supportiveness compared to stably-together couples.

Relationship quality for married couples typically declines after the birth of a (first) child, as parenthood brings new identities, stresses, and responsibilities for mothers and fathers. Yet, it is less clear whether nonmarital relationship quality follows a similar trajectory, particularly given the greater selectivity of nonmarital relationships that persist over time. This paper uses data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N = 3,459) with latent growth curve models to examine relationship quality (measured by mothers' perceived supportiveness about fathers) for married and unmarried couples over nine years after a child's birth. Findings suggest that marriage at birth is protective for relationship supportiveness over time, net of various individual characteristics associated with marriage, compared to all unmarried couples at birth; however, marriage does not differentiate supportiveness compared to the subset of unmarried couples who remain stably together. Also, unmarried couples who get married after the birth have more supportive relationships compared to all unmarried couples who do not marry-though less so when compared to couples who remain stably together.