Family structure and voter turnout

Working PaperWe use data from the Voting and Registration Supplement of the Current Population Survey to explore the effects of family structure on turnout in the 2000 presidential election. Our results indicate that family structure, defined as marital status and the presence of children, has substantial implications for turnout. Married adults vote more frequently than do those who have never been married; in turn, previously married people are the lightest voters. On the other hand, the effects of children on turnout are small and inconsistent. These findings are only partially explained by social and demographic differences

Double impact: what sibling data can tell us about the long-term negative effects of parental divorce

Journal ArticleMost prior research on the adverse consequences of parental divorce has analyzed only one child per family. As a result, it is not known whether the same divorce affects siblings differently. We address this issue by analyzing paired sibling data from the 1994 General Social Survey (GSS) and 1994 Survey of American Families (SAF). Both seemingly unrelated regressions and random effects models are used to study the effect of family background on offspring's educational attainment and marital stability

Mixed blessings of no-fault divorce

Journal ArticleBetween the mid-1960s and 1979 the crude divorce rate in the United States more than doubled.1 Although divorce had increased at a steady rate for more than the previous 100 years, the mid-1960s marked the beginning of an unprecedented boom.2 Despite modest declines over the last twenty years,3 the divorce rate remains high: about one out of two new marriages will fail.

Trends in the intergenerational transmission of divorce

Journal ArticleNumerous researchers have shown that the children of divorce are disproportionately likely to end their own marriages (e.g., Amato 1996; Amato and Booth 1991; Bumpass, Martin, and Sweet 1991; Glenn and Kramer 1987; Kulka and Weingarten 1979; McLanahan and Bumpass 1988; Mueller and Pope 1977; Pope and Mueller 1976). These studies span 20 years, a period in which the divorce rate rose appreciably. Social acceptance of divorce has also increased. These developments may have altered the relationship between parental divorce and offspring divorce. Using data from all years of the NORC General Social Survey (GSS) except 1972,1 I examine trends in the intergenerational transmission of divorce over the last 25 years

Shifting fortunes in a changing economy: trends in the economic well-being of divorced women*

ManuscriptIncome losses resulting from marital disruption have traditionally contributed to high rates of poverty for single women. This paper explores trends in the economic consequences of divorce using data from the 1980-2001 Current Population Survey March Demographic Supplement. Divorce still adversely affects women's incomes, but divorcées have achieved striking economic gains over the last twenty years. Newly developed econometric techniques reveal progress at all points of the income distribution; middle- and upper-class economic gains cannot be attributed to polarization within divorced women's incomes. Multivariate analyses show that progress can largely be attributed to divorcées' progress in the workforce and changing demographic attributes, rather than economic dependence on men, relatives, or income transfers. Finally, we explore the implications of these results for understanding stratification in contemporary America

Thanks for nothing: changes in income and labor force participation for never-married mothers since 1982

Working PaperThis study examines whether the changing social and economic characteristics of women who give birth out of wedlock have led to higher family incomes. Using Current Population Survey data collected between 1982 and 2002, we find that never-married mothers remain poor. They have made modest economic gains, but these have disproportionately occurred at the top of the income distribution. Yet there is no evidence of a burgeoning class of "Murphy Browns," middle-class professional women who give birth out of wedlock. Surprisingly, never-married mothers' incomes have stagnated in spite of impressive gains in education and other personal and vocational characteristics that should have resulted in greater economic progress than has been the case. These gains cast doubt on various stereotypes about women who give birth out of wedlock

Thanks for nothing: income and labor force participation for never-married mothers since 1982

ManuscriptWe examine the changing social and economic characteristics of women who give birth out of wedlock. Using Current Population Survey data collected between 1982 and 2002, we find that never-married mothers remain impoverished. Their income growth over these years was modest despite substantial gains in education, employment, and other individual characteristics generally associated with prosperity. These results affirm the ongoing role of family structure in shaping American inequality

Reexamining the economic costs of marital disruption for women

Journal ArticleChanges in labor force participation and returns may have lessened divorce's traditionally severe economic consequences for women. Method. We use recent data from the National Survey of Families and Households (NSFH) to analyze the economic well-being of women whose marriages ended between the first and second waves of data collection

Attitudes toward Marriage, Divorce, Cohabitation, and Casual Sex among Working-Age Latinos: Does Religion Matter?

The rapid growth of the Latino population in the United States has renewed interest in Latino family research. It has often been assumed that Catholicism is a key factor influencing Latinos’ attitudes toward the family, despite the fact that nearly one third of Latinos are not Catholic. This article uses data from the 2006 National Survey of Religion and Family Life, a survey of working-age adults (aged 18-59 years) in the lower 48 states, to explore the relationship between multiple dimensions of religiosity—denomination, church attendance, prayer, and beliefs about the Bible—and Latinos’ attitudes regarding marriage, divorce, cohabitation, and casual sex. Compared with Catholics, evangelical Protestants tend to hold more conservative attitudes on family-related issues. Latinos who attend services regularly and pray frequently also report more traditional views. Findings involving literalist views of the Bible are more equivocal. Taken together, religious variables are just as potent as socioeconomic and demographic factors in explaining individual-level variation in Latinos’ attitudes. Study limitations are noted, and several directions for future research are identified

Problems in the pipeline: gender, marriage, and fertility in the ivory tower

Journal ArticleWomen have traditionally fared worse than men in the workplace. In few places has this been more apparent than higher education (Jacobs, 1996). In 2003, women received 47% of PhDs awarded (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2005a) but comprised only 35% of tenured or tenure-track faculty (NCES, 2005b). The gender gap widens incrementally higher up on the academic career ladder: among full-time faculty members, 48% of women are tenured compared to 68% of men (Bellas, 2001). Perhaps more striking, just 26% of full professors are women (American Association of University Professors, 2001). In light of these imbalances, concerns regarding Title IX, which prohibits sex-based exclusion from educational programs receiving federal funds, have prompted congressional calls for inquiry (Wyden, 2003)