Hughes, and Keith 2008) and receive fewer economic gains from marriage compared to whites (Willson 2003), yet some studies find African Americans have historically received more health benefits from marriage than whites (Kiecolt et al. 2008; Liu and Umberson 2008). Disparities in the quantity and quality of social ties exist across socioeconomic statuses as well. More educated adults have a larger number of close confidants and may experience less stress in their relationships. For instance, women with a high school degree or less are roughly twice as likely to divorce within 10 years of their first marriage compared with women having at least a bachelor’s degree (Martin 2006). Notably, differential access, benefits, and costs to social ties across sociodemographic groups are not immutable; recent work shows that these differentials have changed significantly over time (Liu and Umberson 2008; McPherson et al. 2006).
