Center for Family and Demographic Research

Susan Brown
brownsl@bgsu.edu 
(419)372-9521
Curriculum Vitae

Professor of Sociology

Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University, 1998

Dr. Brown's research focuses on the familial events and transitions made throughout the life course with an emphasis on the implications of the rapid transformation of American family life for the health and well-being of both adults and children. Her research to date largely has been on cohabitation, emphasizing the relationship quality of cohabitors and its effects on cohabitors' union outcomes as well as their psychological well-being. Her work encompasses multiple projects designed to help researchers decipher the meaning(s) of cohabitation as well as its implications for the adults and children involved.

Recent Publications:

Brown, Susan L., Jennifer Roebuck Bulanda, and Gary R. Lee. (2012).“Transitions into and out of Cohabitation in Later Life.” Journal of Marriage and Family 74:774-793.

Manning, Wendy D. and Susan L. Brown. (Forthcoming). “Cohabitation and Parenting.”In Handbook of Father Involvement: Multidisciplinary Perspectives, 2^nd edition. Edited by Natasha J. Cabrera and Catherine S. Tamis LeMonda. Psychology Press.

Lin, I-Fen and Susan L. Brown. (2012). “Unmarried Boomers Confront Old Age: A National Portrait.” The Gerontologist 52:153-165.

Booth, Alan, Susan L. Brown, Nancy S. Landale, Wendy D. Manning, and Susan M. McHale (eds). (2012). Early Adulthood in a Family Context. Springer.

Nomaguchi, Kei and Susan L. Brown. (2011). “Parental Strains and Rewards among Mothers: The Role of Education.” Journal of Marriage and Family 73:621-636.

Manning, Wendy D. and Susan L. Brown. (2011). “The Demography of Unions among Older Adults: 1980-present.” Pp. 193-212 in Handbook on the Sociology of Aging. Edited by Richard Settersten and Jacqueline Angel. Springer.

Kawamura, Sayaka and Susan L. Brown. (2010). “Mattering and Wives’ Perceived Fairness of the Division of Household Labor.” Social Science Research, 39:976-986.

Brown, Susan L. (2010). “Marriage and Child Well-being: Research and Policy Perspectives.” Journal of Marriage and Family 72:1059-1077.

Brown, Susan L. and Sayaka Kawamura. (2010). “Relationship Quality among Cohabitors and Marrieds in Older Adulthood.” Social Science Research 39:777-786.

Brown, Susan L. and Lauren N. Rinelli. (2010). “Family Structure, Family Processes, and Adolescent Smoking and Drinking.” Journal of Research on Adolescence 20:259-273.

Rinelli, Lauren N. and Susan L. Brown. (2010). “Race Differences in Union Transitions among Cohabitors: The Role of Relationship Quality.” Marriage and Family Review 46:22-40.

Brown, Susan L. and Wendy D. Manning. (2009). “Family Boundary Ambiguity and the Measurement of Family Structure: The Significance of Cohabitation.” Demography 46:85-101.

Brown, Susan L., Jennifer Van Hook, and Jennifer E. Glick. (2008). “Generational Differences in Cohabitation and Marriage in the U.S.” Population Research and Policy Review 27:531-550.

Brown, Susan L. and Jennifer Roebuck Bulanda. (2008). “Relationship Violence in Early Adulthood: A Comparison of Daters, Cohabitors, and Marrieds.” Social Science Research 37:73-87.