Then comes marriage? Religion, race, and marriage in urban America

A growing body of research has focused on socioeconomic and cultural explanations for the fragility of marriage in urban America. This paper examines the role that religious participation—and the norms and behaviors it promotes—plays in encouraging marriage among new parents in urban America. Using longitudinal data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, we find that urban mothers who have a nonmarital birth are significantly more likely to marry within a year of that birth if they attend church frequently. For the most part, this religious effect cannot be explained by measured relationship-related beliefs and behaviors (such as affection between partners and the absence of domestic violence). Instead, religious beliefs and social supports associated with church attendance may help urban mothers make the transition to marriage in communities where marriage has become increasingly infrequent.