Posted on Wed, Nov. 18, 2009
Valerie Oppenheimer, 77, a University of California-Los Angeles sociologist whose pioneering research documented the post-World War II surge of married women into the U.S. workforce and the ramifications of work on marriage, died Nov. 2 in Los Angeles after a stroke.
She was best known for a 1988 study that went against conventional wisdom in explaining why more couples were postponing marriage. With economics playing a greater role for husband and wife, the timing of the "I do" became more important, according to her research.
Her explanation ran counter to the accepted notion that women were marrying later because they had more opportunities in the workplace.
Another study by Ms. Oppenheimer concluded in 2003 that a man was more likely to live with a woman than marry her if he was financially unstable.
- Los Angeles Times
NEWS
Philly.com Promotions
