scholarly journals Gendered diverging destinies: Changing family structures and inequality of opportunity among boys and girls in the United States

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diederik Boertien ◽  
Fabrizio Bernardi
Keyword(s):  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Family Structure ◽  
Parental Education ◽  
Social Inequalities ◽  
The United States ◽  
Family Structures ◽  
Standard Family ◽  
Attainment Gap ◽  
Decomposition Models ◽  
Education Gap

The prevalence of non-standard family structures has increased over time and in particular among socioeconomically disadvantaged families. Because children’s attainments are negatively associated with growing up in non-standard family structures, changes in family structures are often considered to have strengthened the reproduction of social inequalities across generations. We argue that the validity of this argument depends on variation in how family structure affects children’s attainments, a premise we label heterogeneity in attainment penalties. Previous research has documented heterogeneity in attainment penalties across social groups and by gender. Therefore, the role of family structure in reproducing inequalities is unclear and might vary by gender too. We use data from the NLSY 1979 and 1997 cohorts to estimate the contribution of changes in family structures to parental education differences in educational attainment for boys and girls. We estimate extended Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition models which take into account both cross-cohort changes in the prevalence of family structures and heterogeneity in related penalties. Changes in the prevalence and penalties related to childhood family structures account for a 15% increase in the parental education gap in educational attainment for girls but reduced the attainment gap for boys by 13%.

scholarly journals Gendered Diverging Destinies: Changing Family Structures and the Reproduction of Educational Inequalities Among Sons and Daughters in the United States

Demography ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diederik Boertien ◽  
Fabrizio Bernardi
Keyword(s):  
Family Structure ◽  
Social Inequalities ◽  
The United States ◽  
Socioeconomic Background ◽  
Family Structures ◽  
College Attainment ◽  
Attainment Gap ◽  
Decomposition Models ◽  
Changes Over Time ◽  
Over Time

Abstract The prevalence of nontraditional family structures has increased over time, particularly among socioeconomically disadvantaged families. Because children's socioeconomic attainments are positively associated with growing up in a two-parent household, changing family structures are considered to have strengthened the reproduction of social inequalities across generations. However, several studies have shown that childhood family structure relates differently to educational outcomes for sons than for daughters. Therefore, we ask whether there are gender differences in the extent to which changing family structures have contributed to the college attainment gap between children from lower and higher socioeconomic backgrounds. We use data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 and 1997 cohorts to estimate extended Oaxaca–Blinder decomposition models that take into account cross-cohort changes in the prevalence of family structures and heterogeneity in the effects of childhood family structure on college attainment. We find that the argument that changes in family structures contributed to diverging destinies in college attainment holds for daughters but not for sons. This result is due to the different changes over time in the effects of childhood family structure by gender and socioeconomic background.

scholarly journals The Association between Family Structure Changes and High School Completion in South Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 133
Author(s):  
Annah Vimbai Bengesai ◽  
Nompumelelo Nzimande
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
High School ◽  
Young People ◽  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Family Structure ◽  
National Income ◽  
High School Completion ◽  
Family Structures ◽  
School Completion ◽  
Using Data

Over the past few years, family structures have been dramatically transformed, yet limited research from South Africa has assessed the effect on children’s developmental outcomes. Using data from the National Income Dynamics Study, we aim to contribute to the literature by examining the relationship between family structure disruption and high school completion in South Africa. Our sample consisted of 1649 young people who were aged 12, 13 and 14 in 2008 and their educational attainment was tracked through to 2017. The results from the logistic regression analysis demonstrate that family structure disruption is negatively associated with high school completion. After controlling for variation in household income change, the child’s educational factors and socio-demographic controls, young people who experienced a change from a co-resident family or were in stable non-resident parent family structures were up to 50% less likely to complete high school relative to those from undisrupted co-resident parent family structures. Given that family structure disruption is a widespread phenomenon in South Africa, research should consider it as a key determinant of educational attainment and policymakers should come up with holistic interventions to support families as well as allocate public resources in ways that can help reduce educational inequalities.

scholarly journals Parental Educational Attainment and Chronic Medical Conditions among American Youth; Minorities’ Diminished Returns

Children ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (9) ◽  
pp. 96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shervin Assari ◽  
Mohsen Bazargan ◽  
Cleopatra Caldwell
Keyword(s):  
Health Disparities ◽  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Race And Ethnicity ◽  
Parental Education ◽  
The United States ◽  
Chronic Medical Conditions ◽  
Medical Conditions ◽  
White Youth ◽  
Highly Educated ◽  
Parental Educational Attainment

Background: Parental educational attainment is protective against chronic medical conditions (CMCs). According to the minorities’ diminished returns (MDRs) theory, however, the health effects of socioeconomic status (SES) indicators are smaller for socially marginalized groups such as racial and ethnic minorities rather than Whites. Aims: To explore racial and ethnic differences in the effect of parental educational attainment on CMCs in a nationally representative sample of American youth. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we used baseline data of 10,701 12–17 years old youth in the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH; 2013). Parental educational attainment was the independent variable. The dependent variable was the number of CMCs in youth. Age, gender, and family structure were covariates. Race and ethnicity were the focal moderators. Linear and multinomial regression were applied to analyze the data. Results: Overall, higher parental educational attainment was associated with a lower number of CMCs. Race and ethnicity, however, showed significant interactions with parental educational attainment on a number of CMCs as well as 2+ CMCs, suggesting that the effect of parenting educational attainment on CMCs is significantly smaller for Black and Hispanic than White youth. Conclusions: In the United States, race and ethnicity alter the health gains that are expected to follow parental educational attainment. While White youth who are from highly educated families are most healthy, Black and Hispanic youth from highly educated families remain at higher risk for CMCs. That means, while the most socially privileged group, Whites, gain the most health from their parental education, Blacks and Hispanics, the least privileged groups, gain the least. The result is a disproportionately high number of CMCs in middle-class Blacks and Hispanics. Economic, social, public, and health policy makers should be aware that health disparities are not all due to lower SES of the disadvantaged group but also diminished returns of SES resources for them. Youth physical health disparities due to race and ethnicity exist across all SES levels.

scholarly journals Sibling Similarity in Education Across and Within Societies

Demography ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Grätz ◽  
Kieron J. Barclay ◽  
Øyvind N. Wiborg ◽  
Torkild H. Lyngstad ◽  
Aleksi Karhula ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Parental Education ◽  
Family Background ◽  
The United States ◽  
School Grades ◽  
Sibling Correlations ◽  
Sibling Similarity ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The extent to which siblings resemble each other measures the omnibus impact of family background on life chances. We study sibling similarity in cognitive skills, school grades, and educational attainment in Finland, Germany, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. We also compare sibling similarity by parental education and occupation within these societies. The comparison of sibling correlations across and within societies allows us to characterize the omnibus impact of family background on education across social landscapes. Across countries, we find larger population-level differences in sibling similarity in educational attainment than in cognitive skills and school grades. In general, sibling similarity in education varies less across countries than sibling similarity in earnings. Compared with Scandinavian countries, the United States shows more sibling similarity in cognitive skills and educational attainment but less sibling similarity in school grades. We find that socioeconomic differences in sibling similarity vary across parental resources, countries, and measures of educational success. Sweden and the United States show greater sibling similarity in educational attainment in families with a highly educated father, and Finland and Norway show greater sibling similarity in educational attainment in families with a low-educated father. We discuss the implications of our results for theories about the impact of institutions and income inequality on educational inequality and the mechanisms that underlie such inequality.

scholarly journals Race, Gender, Family Structure, Socioeconomic Status, Dietary Patterns, and Cardiovascular Health in Adolescents

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Chen ◽  
Haidong Zhu ◽  
Bernard Gutin ◽  
Yanbin Dong
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Family Structure ◽  
Dietary Patterns ◽  
Dietary Pattern ◽  
The United States ◽  
Processed Meat ◽  
Family Structures ◽  
Fried Food ◽  
Healthy Dietary Pattern ◽  
At Home

ABSTRACT Background Dietary patterns represent a broad picture of food and nutrient consumption and may be more predictive of health outcomes than individual foods and nutrients. Objective We investigated the relations among race, gender, family structure, parental socioeconomic status (SES), dietary patterns, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) profiles among adolescents in the southeastern region of the United States. Methods A total of 743 adolescents from a cross-sectional study were divided into 4 dietary pattern groups by K-means cluster analysis. Multinomial logistic regression was performed to determine the relations among the parental SES, family structures, and dietary patterns of the adolescents. Associations between dietary patterns and CVD profiles were analyzed by multiple linear regression. Results Four dietary patterns were derived: “healthy” (17%), “snacks and sweets” (26%), “processed meat” (20%), and “sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) and fried food” (37%). Whites and females were more likely to have a “healthy” dietary pattern (Ps < 0.001). There were significant race/ethnicity differences in family structures, SES, and dietary patterns (Ps < 0.05). In whites, higher mother's education and father's education and occupation were associated with greater likelihood of a “healthy” dietary pattern (Ps < 0.05). Stay-at-home mother was associated with less likelihood of an “SSB and fried food” pattern (P = 0.023). In blacks, higher mother's occupation, father's education, and living with both parents were associated with more likelihood of a “healthy” dietary pattern (Ps < 0.05). Stay-at-home father was associated with less likelihood of the “snacks and sweets” (P = 0.025) and “SSB and fried food” dietary patterns (P = 0.044). Overall, adolescents with poor dietary patterns exhibited higher percentage body fat, waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, fasting insulin, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, C-reactive protein, and total triglyceride (Ps < 0.05). Conclusions Our data suggest that family structure, parental working status, and SES are associated with the diet quality in adolescents. Moreover, “snacks and sweets,” “processed meat,” and “SSB and fried food” dietary patterns are all associated with worse CVD risk profiles.

scholarly journals Searching for Silver Linings in Foreign Grounds: Children of Immigrants and Their Quest to Post-Secondary Education

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley Mejia
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Education ◽  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Low Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Parental Education ◽  
Upward Mobility ◽  
General Social Survey ◽  
The United States ◽  
Children Of Immigrants ◽  
Assimilation Theory ◽  
White Middle Class

In recent years there has been an increase of immigrants in the United States and upward mobility has become extremely challenging through secondary education. Higher education is deemed to be one of the most important factors associated with upward mobility and economic stability. While the achievement gap continues to widen, children of immigrants continue to struggle to assimilate and in gaining access to the white middle-class mainstream. Ultimately, the snowball effect of intergenerational low socioeconomic status rolls over on to the disadvantage immigrant children in the new generation. I propose that children of U.S. born parents have a greater educational attainment than children of immigrants. Using the 2016 General Social Survey (N= 1,899) ¬ this study investigates the relationship between parents’ place of birth and respondents’ educational attainment. At the bivariate level, children of immigrants attain fewer years of school. However, this relationship appears to be largely mediated by parental education. After controlling for sex, race, and perceived income at age 16, it was found that respondents' educational attainment is not greatly affected by parents' birthplace but by parents’ years of education completed. Guided by insights from Bourdieu’s theory of Habitus and straight-line assimilation theory, the findings show that education plays a major role in patterns related to the assimilation theory and the acquisition of the habitus. Respondents’ educational attainment is fundamentally driven by the systematic structures in society concerning parent’s education and status.

scholarly journals Who engages in the arts in the United States? A comparison of three types of engagement using data from the General Social Survey

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Katherine Bone ◽  
Feifei Bu ◽  
Meg Fluharty ◽  
Elise Paul ◽  
Jill Sonke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Parental Education ◽  
Social Inequalities ◽  
General Social Survey ◽  
The United States ◽  
Social Gradient ◽  
Social Survey ◽  
The Arts ◽  
The Us ◽  
Arts Engagement

Engaging in the arts is a health-related behavior that may be influenced by social inequalities. While it is generally accepted that there is a social gradient in arts participation, previous studies of arts engagement in the US have not used comprehensive measures of engagement and often focus on single demographic or socioeconomic predictors of engagement rather than simultaneously testing a range of factors that may be related to one another. Using cross-sectional data from the General Social Survey (GSS) in the US, we examined which demographic, socioeconomic, residential, and health factors were associated with attendance at arts events, participation in arts activities, and membership of creative groups. We combined data from 1993 to 2016 in three analytical samples with a sample size of 8,684 for arts events, 4,372 for arts activities, and 4,268 for creative groups. Data were analysed using logistic regression. More education was associated with increased levels of all types of arts engagement. Parental education demonstrated a similar association. Being female, compared to male, was also consistently associated with higher levels of engagement. Attendance at arts events was lower in participants with lower income and social class, poorer health, and those living in less urban areas. However, these factors were not associated with engagement in arts activities or creative groups. Overall, we found evidence for a social gradient in attendance at arts events, which was not as pronounced in engagement in arts activities or creative groups. Given the many benefits of engagement in the arts for education, health, and wider welfare, our findings demonstrate the importance of identifying factors to reduce barriers to participation in the arts across all groups in society.

scholarly journals Family Complexity among Children in the United States

2014 ◽  
Vol 654 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy D. Manning ◽  
Susan L. Brown ◽  
J. Bart Stykes
Keyword(s):  
Family Structure ◽  
Living Arrangements ◽  
Parental Education ◽  
The United States ◽  
Single Parent ◽  
Program Participation ◽  
Family Complexity ◽  
Sibling Composition ◽  
Race Ethnicity ◽  
Children’S Living Arrangements

Researchers largely have relied on a measure of family structure to describe children’s living arrangements, but this approach captures only the child’s relationship to the parent(s), ignoring the presence and composition of siblings. We develop a measure of family complexity that merges family structure and sibling composition to distinguish between simple two-biological-parent families, families with complex-sibling (half or stepsiblings) arrangements, and complex-parent (stepparent, single-parent) families. Using the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), we provide a descriptive profile of changes in children’s living arrangements over a 13-year span (1996–2009). SIPP sample sizes are sufficiently large to permit an evaluation of changes in the distribution of children in various (married, cohabiting, and single-parent) simple and complex families according to race/ethnicity and parental education. The article concludes by showing that we have reached a plateau in family complexity and that complexity is concentrated among the most disadvantaged families.

Age at Immigration and the Educational Attainment of Foreign-Born Children in the United States

2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 209-235 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Clarke
Keyword(s):  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Parental Education ◽  
The United States ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Immigrant Parents ◽  
Foreign Born ◽  
Host Countries ◽  
Considerable Portion ◽  
Educational Disadvantage ◽  
Selection Of

A substantial empirical literature confirms an educational disadvantage for foreign-born children that arrive in their host countries at older ages. In the presence of a negative correlation between parental education and age at immigration, estimates of the educational attainment age at immigration gradient, neglecting controls for parental education, will tend to overestimate this disadvantage. The results indicate a considerable overestimation (up to almost 28%) of the disadvantage for immigrant children that arrive at older ages. Moreover, a considerable portion (69%) of the total bias associated with omitted controls for parental education reflects the non-random educational selection of immigrant parents across the age at immigration distribution.

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT OF NORWEGIAN MEN: INFLUENCE OF PARENTAL AND EARLY INDIVIDUAL CHARACTERISTICS

2009 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 799-814 ◽  
Author(s):  
PETTER KRISTENSEN ◽  
HANS M. GRAVSETH ◽  
TOR BJERKEDAL
Keyword(s):  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Parental Education ◽  
Social Inequalities ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Life Course Perspective ◽  
Status Attainment ◽  
Marginal Effect ◽  
Study Objective ◽  
General Ability ◽  
Biological Variables

SummaryThe life course perspective in social inequalities in health research has resulted in an increased interest in status attainment processes. Adult status is commonly measured as occupational class, income level or educational attainment, and the latter was applied in this study. The study objective was to estimate the relative contribution of parental and early individual characteristics on educational attainment. The study population comprised all males born in Norway in 1967–1971, and alive at age 28 years (n=160,914). Data on social and biological variables were compiled from birth onwards in several national registers. Information on educational attainment at age 28 years was derived from Statistics Norway. Mean years of education was 12.62 years (SD 2.24). Educational attainment was strongly associated with general ability score at age 18 years and parental educational attainment. Parental income had more limited influence; all other early factors had only marginal effect. Path analysis results suggest that the direct effect of general ability was of the same size as the combined direct and indirect effect of parental education and income. The results suggest that status attainment in this young male population is mainly dependent on general ability and parental education level.

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