COITAL FREQUENCY AMONG MARRIED AND COHABITING COUPLES IN THE UNITED-STATES

Coital frequency is studied among couples as a function of marital or cohabiting status, relationship duration, number of children, religiou s affiliation, income, education, fertility intentions, age, race, sel f-assessed health, time spent in work, and perceived relationship qual ity. Data are from the 1987-88 National Survey of Families and Househo lds. Predictors of coital frequency that were stable across several an alyses were male's and female's ages, the duration of the relationship , and the male partner's self-assessed health. When the discrepancy in partners' reports was adjusted, cohabitation status, number of childr en, future fertility intentions, religious affiliation, and relationsh ip quality as assessed by the female partner were significant. The res ults suggest a substantial idiosyncratic component to the determinatio n of coital frequency in relationships.