1,720,967 research outputs found
Do marriage and cohabitation provide benefits to health in mid-life?: the role of childhood selection mechanisms and partnership characteristics across countries
No full textExtensive research has found that marriage provides health benefits to individuals, particularly in the U.S. The rise of cohabitation, however, raises questions about whether simply being in an intimate co-residential partnership conveys the same health benefits as marriage. Here, we use OLS regression to compare differences between partnered and unpartnered, and cohabiting and married individuals with respect to self-rated health in mid-life, an understudied part of the lifecourse. We pay particular attention to selection mechanisms arising in childhood and characteristics of the partnership. We compare results in five countries with different social, economic, and policy contexts: the U.S. (NLSY), U.K. (UKHLS), Australia (HILDA), Germany (SOEP), and Norway (GGS). Results show that living with a partner is positively associated with self-rated health in mid-life in all countries, but that controlling for children, prior separation, and current socio-economic status eliminates differences in Germany and Norway. Significant differences between cohabitation and marriage are only evident in the U.S. and the U.K., but controlling for childhood background, union duration, and prior union dissolution eliminates partnership differentials. The findings suggest that cohabitation in the U.S. and U.K., both liberal welfare regimes, seems to be very different than in the other countries. The results challenge the assumption that only marriage is beneficial for health
Comparing the benefits of cohabitation and marriage for health in mid-life: Is the relationship similar across countries?
No full textExtensive research has found that marriage provides health benefits to individuals. The rise of cohabitation, however, raises questions about whether simply being in an intimate co-residential partnership conveys the same health benefits as marriage. Here we use OLS regression to compare differences between cohabitation and marriage with respect to self-rated health in mid-life, an understudied part of the lifecourse. We pay particular attention to selection mechanisms arising in childhood to investigate how early life conditions shape later life outcomes. We compare results in five countries with different social, economic, and policy contexts. Results show no differences in self-rated health between cohabiting and married people in Norway, Germany, and for Australian women. In the U.K, and U.S., and for Australian men, however, marriage is significantly associated with better health. Much of this association disappears when accounting for childhood disadvantage and union duration in the U.S., Australia, and for British women, but differences persist for British men. Our study indicates that early life conditions can be an important source of selection for explaining marriage benefits, and that policy makers should focus on reducing disadvantage in childhood rather than legislating incentives to marry in adulthood
Partnered, cohabiting, or married: childbearing and mothers' mid-life health in the US, UK, and Norway
No full textThe protective aspects of relationships for health have been extensively studied. Here, we assess whether different dimensions of partnership status at the time of a child’s birth are associated with better self-assessed health later in mid-life. Data are from three countries with different social welfare policies relating to union status and parenting: the US, the UK, and Norway. Results indicate that women who were partnered at first birth had better health at midlife in all three countries than women who were unpartnered. The analysis indicates no differences in the mid-life health of Norwegian women who were married or cohabiting at birth, whereas for US and UK women, being married at the birth of a first child is more beneficial for mid-life health than bearing the child in a cohabiting union. In the US, women who are least likely to marry do not demonstrate better mid-life health if they had wed relative to cohabiting. In the UK, in contrast, the women least likely to be married at the birth experience better returns if they marry. These findings highlight the importance of paying closer attention to heterogeneous treatment effects as they relate to childbearing, relationship status, and mid-life health.</p
The Historical Legacy of Education Policy: A Case Study of the Modern-day Segregation in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
Full text linkThis thesis examines the association between resegregation and the post-secondary enrollment rates of Black students. A case study analysis was employed on Charlotte- Mecklenburg Schools as it was once the face of successful school integration efforts. Specifically, Phillip O. Berry High School, a magnet school, and West Charlotte High School, a public school, were used as case study instances. Quantitative and qualitative data, in the form of interviews with previous students, were used to explore the research question. In this thesis, it is hypothesized that school quality, not proximity to whiteness, improves Black student post- secondary enrollment. Overall, respondents from both schools believed their quality of education to be appropriate, based on the resources available to them. Students repeatedly stated that their high school experience was shaped by their teachers, college advisors, and community. However, with segregated schooling in CMS, there is still a lack of resources available at West Charlotte and Phillip O. Berry which in turn influences the post-secondary enrollment rates of Black students. I recommend that Charlotte-Mecklenburg School district implement the following policies: limit the creation of charter schools, reallocate school funding to low-income and minority-serving schools, and adopt inclusionary zoning policies.Bachelor of Art
An Exploratory Analysis of the Relationship Between Black Homeownership and Social Capital in Tennessee
Full text linkThis honors thesis seeks to explore the relationship between black homeownership and social capital within counties in Tennessee. Homeownership policy is built on the assumption that becoming a homeowner always has a net positive impact. While the benefits of homeownership for homeowners themselves have been widely explored in the literature, little has been done to understand how the presence of homeowners impacts communities at large. This is particularly salient for black households that have faced a number of barriers to homeownership and its benefits. Little research has been done to investigate whether black homeownership positively impacts social capital in the community, but policies continue to unilaterally incentivize homeownership as if this relationship is a given. This thesis brings a nuanced approach to the typical view of homeownership in hopes of opening a conversation surrounding a new path forward with more effective, data-driven policies. Exploratory data analysis and interviews with community leaders reveal that there is still much work to be done in fully understanding the relationship between black homeownership and social capital. The existing county-level social capital measures do not fully capture the aspects of social capital that were perceived by residents to be most essential to understanding the relationship between black homeownership and social capital. Improving the tools for research and analysis surrounding this relationship can empower policymakers to implement solutions that focus on what communities truly need to foster stable homeownership and strong social capital.Bachelor of Art
Essays On Family Demography, Household Finance, And Economics Of The Family
Full text linkThis dissertation examines the intersection of financial resources, family demography and economic wellbeing of American households at transitional periods in the life course. Changes in union formation, the demographic composition of the population, and family structure since the latter part of the twentieth century have challenged existing theories on household formation, individual decision-making, and economic well-being (Bumpass, 1990). With the increase in woman's labor force participation, the rise of cohabitation, pre-marital childbirth, and single-parent households, conventional models used to explain recent trends in marriage market dynamics, intra-household resource allocation, and wealth inequality are continuously tested, challenged, and revamped to keep pace with a society in a current state of demographic and economic flux. Chapter one focuses on early and young adulthood and the role of consumer and education loan debt in transitioning into coresidential relationships using a sample of youth coming of age at the turn of the twenty-first century and during a period of economic expansion, increased college enrollment and growing socioeconomic divide in marital patterns in the United States. Results suggest total debt amount is associated with cohabitation, increasing the odds of cohabitation over marriage and remaining single for both women and men. First marriage is positively associated with greater educational attainment for this cohort of young adults, but women with education loan debt are more likely to delay marrying and cohabit first. Chapter two (co-authored with Daniel T. Lichter) addresses the racial wealth gap by exploring the relationship between marriage and marital histories on wealth accumulation of older Black and White women. Marital and relationship histories are strongly associated with the wealth accumulation process. Women who marry and stay married accumulated levels of wealth that exceeded those of other women with disrupted family lives. The marriage-wealth nexus is sensitive to a women's position in the wealth distribution, and decomposition analyses highlight the non-trivial role of racial disparities in marital histories in accounting for the racial wealth gap. The third and final chapter uses seven waves of individual-level data from the Health and Retirement Survey from 1998-2008 to analyze whether there is a causal effect of being an informal basic needs or financial caregiver to an aging parent on one's health outcomes (self-assessed health and depression) and health behaviors (exercise and smoking). The results suggest a positive effect on depressive symptoms of basic needs caregiving for unmarried adult children, and that they may be selecting into that role because of their poor health. Manifestations of caregiving in future periods include, basic needs caregiving increasing the probability of smoking for married women and financial caregiving increases depressive symptoms for unmarried men. These findings suggest that the financial costs of caregiving can influence adult children's health outcomes, in particular for those not currently in a marital union. Bumpass, L. (1990) What's happening to the family? Interactions between demographic and institutional change. Demography. 27(4):483-498
UNCOVERING HEALTH DISPARITIES ACROSS GENERATION STATUS: THE ROLE OF WEALTH AMONG THE U.S. BLACK DIASPORA
Full text linkHealth advantage exist among immigrants compared to their native-born counterparts. In this study, I explore the (1) heterogeneity in self-rated health, mental health, and allostatic load outcomes among U.S. Black young adults across generation statuses, (2) associations between dimensions of wealth and each population health outcome, and (3) how wealth—in the form of assets and debt—operates through generation status to act as a protective factor or risk on health. Using Wave I and Wave IV data from Add Health, I examine health outcomes differences and its associations between household assets and debt at Wave IV via multiple regression techniques. While health advantage persists for Black individuals of immigrant-origin in self-rated health and allostatic load measures, variation in CES-D scores reveals a disparity, even with the addition of assets and debts. Additionally for Black young adults, both dimensions of wealth are associated with positive health outcomes. Overall, this paper contributes to the literature about health advantage among immigrant populations, and the role dimensions of wealth play in health outcome trajectories.Master of Art
At the Intersection of Race, Occupational Status, and Middle-Class Attainment in Young Adulthood
Full text linkUsing data from the National Longitudinal Study of Youth 1997 cohort, the study explores the intersection of labor force attachment and economic inequality. Using a wealth-based definition of middle-class status, changes in wealth inequality among the working and managerial class are examined. Results indicate that Black and Latinx young adults are disproportionately working class and that racialized identity is a stronger predictor of wealth attainment than occupational classifications among Black young adults. Wealth differentials by race are not static; they are growing over time, with downward mobility and lower growth experienced by both Black working and managerial class young adults
THREE ESSAYS ON COLLEGE STUDENT ACADEMIC SUCCESS AND WELL-BEING
Full text linkA college education can represent a path toward a stable career, social and health benefits, or upward mobility for students. However, a large proportion of students who enroll in college fail to complete a degree. Despite the potential benefits of a college education, students encounter a number of barriers to college success. In this dissertation, I explore how policies and student characteristics interact to produce varied student outcomes. In the first chapter, I (along with my co-author, Steven W. Hemelt) explore which students benefit from high-quality academic advising, and which advisor practices are associated with high-quality advising. We find that students initially assigned to high-VA advisors are more likely to complete college in 5 years. In the second chapter, I explore whether differential grade sensitivity can explain some of the gaps in persistence and completion between first-generation college students and their continuing-generation peers. Findings indicate that first-generation students at the bottom of the GPA distribution are less likely to persist and complete degrees than their continuing-generation peers with similar grades. Finally, the third chapter explores the effect of state-level liquor taxes on crime rates on college campuses. My results suggest that increasing the excise tax on liquor may decrease rates of sex offenses, violent offenses, and drug or weapon offenses. Each of these topics contribute to the larger literature on the academic success and general well-being of college students. In doing so, this dissertation aims to contribute to the body of knowledge on how institutions and policymakers can create environments that facilitate student success and well-being.Doctor of Philosoph
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