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This study explores how cohabitation differs for older and younger adults, drawing on data from 966 cohabitors in each of the first 2 waves of the National Survey of Families and Households. Older cohabitors report significantly higher levels of relationship quality and stability than younger cohabitors, although they are less likely to have plans to marry their partners. Few differences were found in the reasons to cohabit, although assessing compatibility is a more important reason for younger cohabitors. Findings suggest that older cohabitors are more likely to view their relationship as an alternative to marriage, whereas younger cohabitors are more likely to view their relationship as a prelude to it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is a response to Runciman's reply to my critique of his 1995 article. I argue that although the First World War brought about many changes in British society, it did not initiate a new stage in its development, for these changes were largely an acceleration of existing tendencies. Runciman's argument that the similarities between the 1930s and the 1980s show that British capitalism was essentially the same in both periods does not allow for the different directions in which British society was moving in the 1930s and in the 1980s. His treatment of the 1980s changes as another phase in the political cycle fails to grasp what was new about the 1980s or locate these changes in their wider economic and global context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article evaluates the extent to which cohabitation is similar to marriage in the United States. The authors find that cohabitors in general report poorer relationship quality than their married counterparts. However, cohabitors marriage plans largely explain the difference in relationship quality of cohabitors and married. The majority of cohabitors report plans to marry their partner, and these cohabitors are involved in unions that are not significantly different from marriages. In fact, cohabitors report more frequent interaction with their partners than do married. The relationship quality of marrieds and cohabitors with plans to marry is affected in the same way by the presence of potential sources of stress such as biological children, children front past unions, and prior union experience. The relationship quality of married and cohabitors with plans to many are affected in the same way by the presence of biological children, children from past unions, and prior marriage and cohabitation.

This study found that involvement in employee ownership-positive feelings about the program and participation in ownership opportunities-varied by occupation. Highest status employees were most involved. Lower status employees were either uninvolved or cynical about the program. Involvement also varied as a result of union commitments. Employees who favored a union which did not support ownership were less involved in the ownership program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although more than a quarter of American women work in clerical and administrative support jobs, little is known about the day-to-day experience of clerical work. We explore workplace dispute resolution among women and men clerical workers, focusing on how they define and resolve "personality conflicts." "Personality conflict" is a label women clerical workers tend to use more than men to describe disputes over how tasks should be accomplished, interpersonal treatment, and emotional issues. h-depth interview data from two contrasting firms indicate that institutional dispute processing forums (a union-negotiated grievance procedure in "Firm A" and an open-door policy in "Firm B") are ill-equipped to handle personality conflicts, causing women to laterally transfer, which in turn reduces their human capital. We suggest that workplace dispute resolution is an intra-organizational process which may create, maintain, or nullify employment inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]