title: Vetting and Letting: Cohabiting Stepfamily Formation Processes in Low-Income Black Families.
abstract: The authors examined cohabiting union formation processes by analyzing in-depth interview data collected from 30 individuals in cohabiting relationships: 15 low-income Black mothers of adolescents and their partners. Prior research suggests that cohabiting union formation is a gradual, nondeliberative process. In contrast, most couples in this study described a gradual but highly deliberative process. Mothers focused primarily on vetting their partners to ensure child well-being and less on when and how their partners officially came to live with them, a process the authors call vetting and letting. Mothers delineated 4 strategies to ensure their child's well-being when vetting their partners, and their partners reported that they understood the importance of participating in this process. The authors argue that vetting and letting is a child-centered family formation process, not a partner-centered union formation process, and that cohabiting union processes may vary substantially by subpopulation.
authors.affiliation: National Development and Research Institutes, Inc., 71 West 23rd St., 4th Floor, New York, NY 10010.
authors.forename: Megan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Reid
authors.affiliation: National Development and Research Institutes, Inc., 71 West 23rd St., 4th Floor, New York, NY 10010.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Golub
keywords: African Americans; cohabiting couples with children; low-income families; mothers; qualitative research; stepfamilies