Abstract In this article we extend the ecological–exchange framework as a way of understanding cultural, cohort, and socioeconomic variations in how marriage partnerships are structured and experienced. Based on the integration of ecological and contextual perspectives and social exchange theories, this framework highlights both micro‐ and macro‐level factors that interact to shape the trends and trajectories of marriage relationships over time. We use the ecological–exchange framework to discuss future implications for research using exchange principles and focus on how close relationships are structured and experienced.