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Coital frequency among married and cohabiting couples in the United States

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 July 2008

K. V. Rao  and
Alfred Demaris
K. V. Rao
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, Bowling Green State University, Ohio, USA
Alfred Demaris
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, Bowling Green State University, Ohio, USA
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Summary

Coital frequency is studied among couples as a function of marital or cohabiting status, relationship duration, number of children, religious affiliation, income, education, fertility intentions, age, race, self-assessed health, time spent in work, and perceived relationship quality. Data are from the 1987–88 National Survey of Families and Households. Predictors of coital frequency that were stable across several analyses were male's and female's ages, the duration of the relationship, and the male partner's self-assessed health. When the discrepancy in partners' reports was adjusted, cohabitation status, number of children, future fertility intentions, religious affiliation, and relationship quality as assessed by the female partner were significant. The results suggest a substantial idiosyncratic component to the determination of coital frequency in relationships.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 27 , Issue 2 , April 1995 , pp. 135 - 150
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995

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