What explains the gap between what unmarried parents say about marriage and what they do? One explanation for low marriage rates in this population is the lack of marriageable males – men who are financially stable and non-incarcerated. Another explanation is that a large number of women haveentered the workforce, making them less dependent on men and undermining their incentives to marry. Other arguments emphasize the increase in government transfer programs or to cultural shifts that have reduced the stigma associated with singlemotherhood. While each of these arguments has merit, none can fully account for why parents who say they plan to marry fail to follow through on their plans. This brief uses data from the Time, Love, Cash, Care, and Children Study (TLC3) to examine what unmarried parents say about marriage.