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For Unwed Parents, a "Magic Moment" When Marriage Still Beckons

Unwed parents are more likely to wed before their child turns 3, according to a new study by Christina Gibson-Davis. But patterns vary greatly by race, and marital bonds formed after a child’s birth are fragile. The study appears in Demography. The findings also received recent attention in New York Magazine.

Do Daughters Cause Divorce?

In the U.S., couples with daughters are somewhat more likely to divorce than couples with sons. Many scholars have read those numbers as evidence that daughters cause divorce.

But new research from Duke University suggests something quite different may be at play: Girls may be hardier than boys, even in the womb, and may be better able to survive pregnancies stressed by a troubled marriage. The new study by Duke’s Amar Hamoudi and Jenna Nobles of the University of Wisconsin-Madison appears today in Demography.

Learn more about the study here, and in recent articles in The Times, TIME.com, the New Republic and Salon.com.