The influence of intimate violence on transitions out of cohabitation

Does the experience of violence in a cohabiting union lead participants awa y front marriage and toward separation, or does violence have only minimal impact once other characteristics of onions and their participants are cont rolled? This issue is examined using a sample of 411 cohabiting couples fol lowed in both waves of the National Survey of Families and Households. Marr iage and separation are treated as competing risks. Results show that viole nce does have an effect, although dissimilar effects Emerge for transitions to separation, as apposed to marriage. Net of other factors, intense male violence-male violence that is more severe than the female partner's-raises the hazard of separation. In contrast, female violence, bur not male viole nce, lowers the rate of marriage. The findings appear robust to a variety o f operationalizations of partner violence.