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The$first$explanation$is$simple,$if$pessimistic.$If$religion$induces$women$who$1+-2(,4&7%,
entered$a$cohabiting$union$to$get$married$instead,$maybe$those$marriages$aren’t$better$
quality$than$the$cohabiting$union$would$have$been,$but$because$of$their$religious$views,$these$
women$choose$to$not$divorce.$$
$
The$second$possibility$is$that$religion$actually$changes$the$experience$of$being$married.$
Religious$communities$might$provide$institutional$support$to$married$couples:$other$married$
couple$friends$to$provide$peers$and$support,$community$or$pastoral$interventions$to$correct$
spousal$behavior,$material$or$financial$support$in$times$of$hardship,$etc.$$
$
And$finally,$religion$may$change$exactly$who$women$marry$in$important$ways.$First,$religion$
could$alter$the$potential$spouses$to$which$women$are$exposed.$Via$church$communities,$
religious$women$may$be$able$to$access$a$larger$and$more$marriage-friendly$pool$of$potential$
spouses.$Second,$religion$could$alter$the$criteria$that$women$have$for$selecting$partners.$
Knowing$that$cohabitation$is$disfavored$and$desiring$the$companionship$of$a$committed$
union,$religious$women$might$more$actively$pursue$“husband$material”$partners$earlier$in$
life$than$other$women.$Third,$religion$might$alter$the$dynamics$between$partners$in$
important$ways.$Religious$women$might$look$for$spouses$who$share$values,$beliefs,$or$
practices$that$are$important$for$union$stability.$Sharing$these$values$might$reduce$the$
potential$for$conflict$down$the$road.$
$
Exactly$which$of$these$factors$is$at$work$is$difficult$to$say.$But$one$way$or$another,$this$
Institute$for$Family$Studies$research$brief$suggests$that$waiting$to$marry$until$you’re$30$does$
not$always$increase$your$odds$of$forging$a$stable$marriage.$Especially$for$religious$men$and$
women$who$avoid$cohabitation,$our$analysis$of$the$NSFG$indicates$that$they$can$marry$in$
their$20s$without$serious$adverse$divorce$risks.$The$upshot$of$all$this$is$that$the$religious$
model$of$marriage$and$family$appears$to$boost$the$odds$that$young$adults$can$marry$before$
30$without$increasing$their$risk$of$landing$in$divorce$court.$
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