Assessing Effects of Rural Marriage Markets

Authors

Sarah Savage, Brigham Young University
Dr. Vaughn Call, Brigham Young University

Keywords

rural marriage, first marriage, marriage market, rural communities

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

Sociology

Abstract

Rural communities are unique in that they have a limited number of eligible singles or “marriage pool” which restricts the choice of marriage partners. There is great importance in the number of potential partners in a marriage market because this number affects persons in the transition to their first marriage. In rural areas the population is low and the number of individuals in the marriage market is few, thus limiting the pool of possible marriage-partners. Additionally, there are few opportunities for employment in rural areas, so the number of individuals who are single and employed is likely to be slim. These two factors combine in rural areas to limit the number of potential partners. It follows that if one comes from a rural area with few prospective partners, his or her likelihood for marriage declines.

Recommended Citation

Savage, Sarah and Call, Dr. Vaughn (2013) "Assessing Effects of Rural Marriage Markets," Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2013: Iss. 1, Article 602.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jur/vol2013/iss1/602