What do low-income single mothers say about marriage?

Current theories of marriage under-predict the extent of non-marriage,, hav e not been adequately tested, or do not apply well to women with low-socioe conomic status. Furthermore, scholarly research on marriage attitudes among low-SES women suffers from a lack of up-to-date qualitative work This stud y draws on qualitative interviews with 292 low-income single mothers in thr ee U.S. cities. Inductive analysis reveals five primary motivations for non -marriage among low-income single mothers. Most mothers agree potential mar riage partners must earn significantly more than the minimum wage, but also emphasize the importance of stability of employment, source of earnings, a nd the effort men expend to find and keep their jobs. Mothers place equal o r greater emphasis an non-monetary factors such as how marriage may diminis h or enhance respectability, how it may limit their control over household decisions, their mistrust of men, and their fear of domestic violence. Affo rdability, respectability, and control have greater salience for African Am erican mothers. while trust and domestic violence have greater salience for whites. The author discusses these findings in relation to existing theori es of marriage and in light welfare reform.