Factors Influencing Intentions to Marry: A Comparison of Americans and Australians

This study looked at the strength of relationships between attitudes and intentions to marry for Australians and Americans. It also examined cross-cultural differences in attitudes and intentions. Participants were 313 single female undergraduates from both the University of WisconsinLa Crosse (n = 201) and University of La Trobe (Bundoora Campus) in Australia (n = 112). I found that Americans viewed marriage more positively than Australians, and were more likely to indicate an intention to marry than Australians. Based on census information from both countries, the results were not surprising. However, the results help explain why marriage rates in Australia are lower than in the U.S. Given high cohabitation rates in Australia (and low marriage rates), it is not surprising that attitudes toward marriage and subjective norms were both highly predictive of intention to marry. INTRODUCTION Most developed countries are undergoing a radical change in family roles. Industrialization, declining fertility rates, and increased numbers of women in the workplace have coincided with sizable increases in divorce and cohabitation and a moderate decline in marriage rates (Sassler, 2004). Demographic shifts in socioeconomic status, education levels, social and religious attitudes, and the increase in cohabitation have also lead to the change in the number and quality of marriages (Amato, Johnson, Booth, & Rogers, 2003). Changing gender roles contributed to the shift as well; marriage is moving away from the breadwinner/ housewife image to a more equal division of labor. Along with this, the increase in childbearing outside of wedlock has weakened the social institutional drive, or the social norms that drive people’s behavior, towards marriage (Cherlin, 2004). The increase in divorce has dramatically led to more remarriages and an increase in cohabitation (King & Scott, 2005). Cohabitation exists as a prelude to marriage or as an alternative to it (Sassler, 2004). Given the changing meaning and context of relationships, the proposed study focuses on American and Australian college students’ intentions to marry. United States and Australia The United States and Australia are similar in many ways: they are both industrialized nations with high gross national products, are involved in heavy global trading, are English speaking, largely Christian (Australia is 70% and the US is 76% Christian), and have large, diverse populations (Australian Census, 1996 & United States of America, 2006). While similar in many ways, in terms of family dynamics the two cultures vary in terms of marriage. Australians are more likely to cohabitate and less likely to marry then are Americans. As of the U.S. Census of 2000, 73% of the US population was married, 54.4% of the married population was separated, and 9.7% of the population was divorced. Whereas, 2.4% of the population reported that they were cohabitating with their partner (US Census, 2000). In the Australian Census of 2001, 43% of the population was married; 7.1 % was divorced, 6.7% of the married population was separated. Whereas 5.5% of the population reported cohabitating with their partner (Australian Census, 2001). Overall, the cohabitation rate in Australia is 2.3 times as high as it is in the US. Furthermore, Australia has a lower marriage rate than the U.S. (5.3 per 1,000 population compared to 8.3 per 1,000 in the U.S.) and a lower divorce rate than the U.S. (2.8 per 1,000 compared to 4.2 for the U.S.) (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2002). Factors Affecting Marital Choices Children who grow up in households where their parents are married view marriage more positively than those who grew up with divorced, separated, or non-married cohabitating parents. Children of divorced or cohabitating parents are more likely to cohabitate with their respective partners in the future rather than commit to marriage (Cunningham & Thornton, 2005). In addition, individuals who divorce are more likely to cohabitate with their new partner rather than remarry (Cunningham & Thornton (2005). Interestingly, people who are married view cohabitation more negatively than those who have not married. A vast amount of research exists on the