The Associations Between Income Pooling, Commitment, Financial Insecurity, and Financial Stress in Young Adult Romantic Relationships

Kasey Eickmeyer , Bowling Green State University
Wendy D. Manning, Bowling Green State University
Monica A. Longmore, Bowling Green State University
Peggy C. Giordano, Bowling Green State University

Research on commitment in romantic relationships has identified numerous structural investments, many of which are signaled through sharing financial resources (i.e., a shared mortgage or lease). Shared finances, however, may also be related to financial insecurity among young adults coupling after The Great Recession. Using a nationally representative survey of young adults from Toledo, Ohio (Toledo Adolescent Relationships Study), we explore the associations between income pooling and multiple indices of commitment, financial insecurity, and financial stress. Preliminary results indicate that income pooling is significantly associated with all three qualities in young adult relationships: commitment, financial insecurity, and financial stress. This paper will be extended with the use of decomposition techniques to assess the contribution of each factor to explaining differences in young adult income pooling behavior.

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 Presented in Session 8. Economy, Labor Force, Education, & Inequality