Spouses, homogamy, and social networks

In this article, we investigate the factors predicting the inclusion and positioning of a particularly important family member in an American’s discussion network: One’s spouse. With data from the 1985 General Social Survey, we first investigate factors that underlie propensities among married Americans to include spouses as members of their discussion networks. We then investigate factors underlying their propensities to name their spouse as the first, and presumably most important, person in their network.