Citation

Alvira-Hammond M, Longmore MA, Manning WD, Giordano PC. Emerg. Adulthood 2014; 2(2): 116-127.

Affiliation

Department of Sociology and the Center for Family and Demographic Research Bowling Green State University Bowling Green, OH 43403.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, Society for the Study of Emerging Adulthood, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/2167696813512305

PMID

25309829

Abstract

Although intimate partner aggression crosses social class boundaries, education and income are important predictors. Yet given that emerging adulthood is a transitional period, completed education and employment, as single measures, are not ideal indicators of socioeconomic status for young people. We examined associations between self-reports of gainful activity, defined as enrollment in school or full-time employment, and intimate partner aggression among young adults in dating, cohabiting, or married relationships (N=648). Both men and women's participation in gainful activity was negatively associated with aggression. We found that when neither partner was gainfully active, individuals reported higher frequency of physical aggression. In cases of gainful activity asymmetry, the gender of the gainfully active partner did not predict intimate partner aggression. Additionally, we found no evidence that the association between gainful activity and frequency of intimate partner aggression differed by union type.

Language: en