Search Results

Author: Sassler, Sharon
Resulting in 19 citations.
1. Addo, Fenaba
Houle, Jason N.
Sassler, Sharon
The Changing Nature of the Association Between Student Loan Debt and Marital Behavior in Young Adulthood
Journal of Family and Economic Issues 40,1 (March 2019): 86-101.
Also: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10834-018-9591-6
Cohort(s): NLSY79, NLSY97
Publisher: Springer
Keyword(s): Cohabitation; Debt/Borrowing; Marriage; Student Loans / Student Aid

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

In this study, we compared young adults from the NLSY 1979 and the NLSY 1997 to examine how the relationship between student debt and the likelihood of marrying changed across cohorts, in light of the growing acceptance of non-marital cohabitation. In the 1997 cohort, student loan debt among college-attending young adults was associated with delays in marriage, but not in the 1979 cohort. Among men, the positive association between education debt and marriage in the 1979 cohort was no longer evident for the 1997 cohort of young men. Our findings provide further evidence that rising student debt is reshaping relationship formation among college-going youth, and that as cohabitation has become more widespread, social and economic disparities in who marries without cohabiting first have increased.
Bibliography Citation
Addo, Fenaba, Jason N. Houle and Sharon Sassler. "The Changing Nature of the Association Between Student Loan Debt and Marital Behavior in Young Adulthood." Journal of Family and Economic Issues 40,1 (March 2019): 86-101.
2. Addo, Fenaba
Perelli-Harris, Brienna
Hoherz, Stefanie
Lappegard, Trude
Sassler, Sharon
Partnership Status and the Wage Premium in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, and Norway: What Explains Differentials Between Married and Cohabiting Adults?
Presented: Chicago IL, Population Association of America Annual Meeting, April 2017
Cohort(s): NLSY97
Publisher: Population Association of America
Keyword(s): Cohabitation; Cross-national Analysis; German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP); Marital Status; Marriage; Norway, Norwegian; Wage Dynamics; Wages

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

Previous research has found that marriage often results in a wage premium. With recent increases in cohabitation, cohabitors may experience similar returns to their relationship status (or may continue to be stigmatized). Here we are interested in whether legal, welfare, and cultural contexts contribute to differentials in the marriage and cohabitation wage premium. We compare differences in wages between married and cohabiting men and women in the UK (BCS70), US (NLSY), Norway (GGS), and Germany (SOEP). Preliminary results indicate that both gender and context matter. Marriage provides a boost to wages in the U.S. and U.K. for both men and women, however, family background and the selectivity of cohabiting unions reduces differences. There are no differences between cohabitation and married in the Norwegian context, and German female cohabiters earn slightly more than married women, but this is reduced once accounting for the presence of children.
Bibliography Citation
Addo, Fenaba, Brienna Perelli-Harris, Stefanie Hoherz, Trude Lappegard and Sharon Sassler. "Partnership Status and the Wage Premium in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, and Norway: What Explains Differentials Between Married and Cohabiting Adults?" Presented: Chicago IL, Population Association of America Annual Meeting, April 2017.
3. Addo, Fenaba
Sassler, Sharon
Williams, Kristi
Reexamining the Association of Maternal Age and Marital Status at First Birth With Youth Educational Attainment
Journal of Marriage and Family 78,5 (October 2016): 1252-1268.
Also: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jomf.12360/abstract
Cohort(s): NLSY79, NLSY79 Young Adult
Publisher: Blackwell Publishing, Inc. => Wiley Online
Keyword(s): Age at Birth; Childbearing, Adolescent; Childbearing, Premarital/Nonmarital; High School Completion/Graduates; Mothers, Adolescent; Parental Marital Status

We reexamined the association of maternal age and marital status at birth with youth high school completion using data from the Children and Young Adult sample of the 1979 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth and giving attention to multiple age categories and race and ethnic variations. Youth born to older teen mothers were no more likely to graduate from high school than those born to the youngest teen mothers. Although delaying childbirth to young adulthood was associated with greater odds of children's high school completion when compared with the earliest teen births, those born to young adult mothers were disadvantaged when compared with those born to mothers aged 25 years or older. Being born to an unmarried mother was associated with lower odds of high school completion. We found no evidence that maternal age at birth more strongly predicted high school graduation for White compared with Latino and Black youth.
Bibliography Citation
Addo, Fenaba, Sharon Sassler and Kristi Williams. "Reexamining the Association of Maternal Age and Marital Status at First Birth With Youth Educational Attainment." Journal of Marriage and Family 78,5 (October 2016): 1252-1268.
4. Glass, Jennifer L.
Levitte, Yael
Sassler, Sharon
Michelmore, Katherine
Retention of Women in the STEM Labor Force: Gender Similarities and Differences with a Focus on Destination Status
Presented: San Francisco CA, Population Association of America Annual Meeting, May 2012
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: Population Association of America
Keyword(s): College Major/Field of Study/Courses; Educational Outcomes; Gender Differences; Labor Force Participation; Modeling, Hazard/Event History/Survival/Duration; Occupational Choice; Occupations, Female; Occupations, Non-Traditional; STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics)

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

While much recent scholarly attention has been focused on getting women into the STEM labor force, less attention has been paid to keeping them in STEM occupations across the life course. This research follows college graduates in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 panel who transitioned into the STEM labor force following college graduation. Using multinomial modeling of the hazard of leaving a STEM employer, we estimate the covariates of leaving to take a new STEM job, to move into a non-STEM job, and to exit the labor force for women and men. Survival curves show few gender differences overall in the rate at which women and men leave their first STEM job.. Multivariate hazard models show that preschool aged children disproportionately encourage job moves out of STEM for women, including moves out of the labor force, while having a partner employed in a STEM field facilitates retention.
Bibliography Citation
Glass, Jennifer L., Yael Levitte, Sharon Sassler and Katherine Michelmore. "Retention of Women in the STEM Labor Force: Gender Similarities and Differences with a Focus on Destination Status." Presented: San Francisco CA, Population Association of America Annual Meeting, May 2012.
5. Glass, Jennifer L.
Sassler, Sharon
Levitte, Yael
Michelmore, Katherine
What's So Special about STEM? A Comparison of Women's Retention in STEM and Professional Occupations
Social Forces 92,2 (2013): 723-756.
Also: http://sf.oxfordjournals.org/content/92/2/723
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Keyword(s): College Graduates; College Major/Field of Study/Courses; Exits; Occupations, Female; Occupations, Non-Traditional; STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics); Women

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

We follow female college graduates in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 and compare the trajectories of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)-related occupations to other professional occupations. Results show that women in STEM occupations are significantly more likely to leave their occupational field than professional women, especially early in their career, while few women in either group leave jobs to exit the labor force. Family factors cannot account for the differential loss of STEM workers compared to other professional workers. Few differences in job characteristics emerge either, so these cannot account for the disproportionate loss of STEM workers. What does emerge is that investments and job rewards that generally stimulate field commitment, such as advanced training and high job satisfaction, fail to build commitment among women in STEM.
Bibliography Citation
Glass, Jennifer L., Sharon Sassler, Yael Levitte and Katherine Michelmore. "What's So Special about STEM? A Comparison of Women's Retention in STEM and Professional Occupations." Social Forces 92,2 (2013): 723-756.
6. Perelli-Harris, Brienna
Hoherz, Stefanie
Addo, Fenaba
Lappegard, Trude
Evans, Ann
Sassler, Sharon
Styrc, Marta
Do Marriage and Cohabitation Provide Benefits to Health in Mid-Life? The Role of Childhood Selection Mechanisms and Partnership Characteristics Across Countries
Population Research and Policy Review 37,5 (October 2018): 703-728.
Also: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11113-018-9467-3
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: Springer
Keyword(s): Australia, Australian; Britain, British; Cohabitation; Cross-national Analysis; German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP); Health/Health Status/SF-12 Scale; Life Course; Marriage; Norway, Norwegian

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

Extensive 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.
Bibliography Citation
Perelli-Harris, Brienna, Stefanie Hoherz, Fenaba Addo, Trude Lappegard, Ann Evans, Sharon Sassler and Marta Styrc. "Do Marriage and Cohabitation Provide Benefits to Health in Mid-Life? The Role of Childhood Selection Mechanisms and Partnership Characteristics Across Countries." Population Research and Policy Review 37,5 (October 2018): 703-728.
7. Perelli-Harris, Brienna
Styrc, Marta
Addo, Fenaba
Lappegard, Trude
Sassler, Sharon
Evans, Ann
Comparing the Benefits of Cohabitation and Marriage for Health and Happiness in Mid-Life: Is the Relationship Similar Across Countries?
Presented: Washington DC, Population Association of America Annual Meeting, March-April 2016
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: Population Association of America
Keyword(s): Australia, Australian; British Cohort Study (BCS); Cohabitation; Cross-national Analysis; Happiness (see Positive Affect/Optimism); Health/Health Status/SF-12 Scale; Life Satisfaction; Marriage; Norway, Norwegian

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

Previous research has found that marriage conveys benefits to individuals, but with recent increases in cohabitation, it is no longer clear that marriage per se matters, compared to living in a co-residential partnership. This association is especially unclear in countries where cohabitation is becoming widespread, such as Australia, the UK, the US, and Norway. Here we compare differences between married and cohabiting people with respect to self-rated health and life satisfaction in mid-life. Our surveys - the Australian HILDA, Norwegian GGS, UK BCS70 and US NLSY - include a mix of longitudinal and retrospective questions, allowing us to match individuals on socio-economic background and childhood family structure. Using Propensity Score Matching, we examine current partnership type and long-term cohabiting unions vs. long-term marriages. Preliminary results show that marriage is positively associated with health and happiness in countries where cohabitation is less regulated and more selective of childhood disadvantage.
Bibliography Citation
Perelli-Harris, Brienna, Marta Styrc, Fenaba Addo, Trude Lappegard, Sharon Sassler and Ann Evans. "Comparing the Benefits of Cohabitation and Marriage for Health and Happiness in Mid-Life: Is the Relationship Similar Across Countries?" Presented: Washington DC, Population Association of America Annual Meeting, March-April 2016.
8. Perelli-Harris, Brienna
Styrc, Marta
Addo, Fenaba
Lappegard, Trude
Sassler, Sharon
Evans, Ann
Comparing the Benefits of Cohabitation and Marriage for Health and Happiness in Mid-Life: Is the Relationship Similar Across Countries?
Presented: Washington DC, Population Association of America Annual Meeting, March-April 2016
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: Population Association of America
Keyword(s): Australia, Australian; British Cohort Study (BCS); Cohabitation; Cross-national Analysis; Health/Health Status/SF-12 Scale; Life Satisfaction; Marriage; Norway, Norwegian; Propensity Scores

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

Previous research has found that marriage conveys benefits to individuals, but with recent increases in cohabitation, it is no longer clear that marriage per se matters, compared to living in a co-residential partnership. This association is especially unclear in countries where cohabitation is becoming widespread, such as Australia, the UK, the US, and Norway. Here we compare differences between married and cohabiting people with respect to self-rated health and life satisfaction in mid-life. Our surveys - the Australian HILDA, Norwegian GGS, UK BCS70 and US NLSY - include a mix of longitudinal and retrospective questions, allowing us to match individuals on socio-economic background and childhood family structure. Using Propensity Score Matching, we examine current partnership type and long-term cohabiting unions vs. long-term marriages. Preliminary results show that marriage is positively associated with health and happiness in countries where cohabitation is less regulated and more selective of childhood disadvantage.
Bibliography Citation
Perelli-Harris, Brienna, Marta Styrc, Fenaba Addo, Trude Lappegard, Sharon Sassler and Ann Evans. "Comparing the Benefits of Cohabitation and Marriage for Health and Happiness in Mid-Life: Is the Relationship Similar Across Countries?" Presented: Washington DC, Population Association of America Annual Meeting, March-April 2016.
9. Sassler, Sharon
Addo, Fenaba
Williams, Kristi
Maternal Union Status and Youth Educational Attainment: Does Age at Birth Matter?
Presented: San Diego CA, Population Association of America Annual Meeting, April-May 2015
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79, NLSY79, NLSY79 Young Adult
Publisher: Population Association of America
Keyword(s): Adolescent Fertility; Age at Birth; High School Completion/Graduates; Marital History/Transitions; Marital Status; Parents, Single

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

Recent demographic trends indicate declines in teen childbirth, increases in non-marital childbearing, and shifts to more births to women in their twenties. Using data from the linked Children and Young Adult sample (N=2,865) of the NLSY79, this study examines the potential benefits to the offspring of women who delay childbirth. We investigate whether the children born to mothers who delay childbirth into their early and late twenties have more positive educational outcomes compared with children born to teen mothers. Results suggest youth born to teen and young adult mothers are less likely to graduate from high school than youth born to older mothers. And, this association remains robust to mother's marital status at birth. Our results highlight the diverging destinies faced by youth born to teen mothers and older mothers, but suggest that those born to young adult women (in their early 20s) may also face educational disadvantage.
Bibliography Citation
Sassler, Sharon, Fenaba Addo and Kristi Williams. "Maternal Union Status and Youth Educational Attainment: Does Age at Birth Matter?" Presented: San Diego CA, Population Association of America Annual Meeting, April-May 2015.
10. Sassler, Sharon
Glass, Jennifer L.
Levitte, Yael
Michelmore, Katherine
The Missing Women in STEM? Assessing Gender Differentials in the Factors Associated with Transition to First Jobs
Social Science Research 63 (March 2017): 192-208.
Also: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0049089X16306020
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: Elsevier
Keyword(s): College Major/Field of Study/Courses; Expectations/Intentions; Gender Attitudes/Roles; Gender Differences; Occupational Choice

We utilize data from the 1979 National Longitudinal Surveys of Youth (NLSY79) to explore transitions into the labor force of young adults who received a baccalaureate degree. This was the first cohort for whom college completion was more likely among women than men (Buchman and DiPrete, 2006). Graduates also began their careers in the early 1980s, when women's job opportunities were expanding, and when considerable gains in female representation in STEM baccalaureates fields were made (Xie and Killewald, 2012). We begin by reviewing existing explanations of women's underrepresentation in STEM employment, then present our own empirical results. Our analysis extends prior research by incorporating indicators of young adult's values, expectations, and intentions. We use regression decomposition techniques to investigate what factors account for gender disparities in transitions into STEM employment. Our results highlight the need to better interrogate long-accepted views regarding the association between women's and men's family and work values and actual employment outcomes.
Bibliography Citation
Sassler, Sharon, Jennifer L. Glass, Yael Levitte and Katherine Michelmore. "The Missing Women in STEM? Assessing Gender Differentials in the Factors Associated with Transition to First Jobs." Social Science Research 63 (March 2017): 192-208.
11. Sassler, Sharon
Levitte, Yael
Glass, Jennifer L.
Michelmore, Katherine
The Missing Women in Science, Math, Engineering, and Behavioral Science Jobs? Accounting for Gender Differences in Entrance into STEM Occupations
Presented: Washington, DC, Population Association of America Annual Meetings, March 31-April 2, 2011.
Also: http://paa2011.princeton.edu/download.aspx?submissionId=111615
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: Population Association of America
Keyword(s): Educational Outcomes; Gender Differences; Labor Force Participation; Occupational Segregation

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

Despite the investment of considerable money to increase women's representation in undergraduate science and engineering education, gender imbalance in the science workplace remains. Women are now more likely than men to obtain a college degree, and in science, math, engineering and behavioral science (SMEB)-related fields of study, women's graduation rates since the 1970s have increased between two to ten times (Bell, 2010). Despite these educational gains, women's representation in the SMEB workforce remains low. As of 2003, women were only 27% of the SMEB workforce (National Science Board, 2008). In this paper, we examine the factors associated with entering into SMEB occupations and how this differs by gender. We assess whether differences in attitudes towards gender and family roles account for gender disparities in the likelihood of entering into SMEB occupations among young adults who received college degrees and majored in SMEB fields.
Bibliography Citation
Sassler, Sharon, Yael Levitte, Jennifer L. Glass and Katherine Michelmore. "The Missing Women in Science, Math, Engineering, and Behavioral Science Jobs? Accounting for Gender Differences in Entrance into STEM Occupations." Presented: Washington, DC, Population Association of America Annual Meetings, March 31-April 2, 2011.
12. Sassler, Sharon
Williams, Kristi
Addo, Fenaba
Frech, Adrianne
Cooksey, Elizabeth C.
Family Structure and High School Graduation: How Children Born to Unmarried Mothers Fare
Genus: Journal of Population Sciences 69,2 (2013): 1-33.
Also: http://scistat.cilea.it/index.php/genus/article/view/501/254
Cohort(s): NLSY79, NLSY79 Young Adult
Publisher: Universita Degli Studi Di Roma "La Sapienza"
Keyword(s): Adolescent Fertility; Age at Birth; Cohabitation; Fertility; High School Completion/Graduates; Marital History/Transitions; Marital Status; Parents, Single

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

We examine whether the union transitions of unmarried mothers into marriage or cohabitation during their children's youth are associated with their offspring's likelihood of graduating from high school by age 20. Data are from the linked Children and Young Adult sample of the 1979 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY79), which enables us to extend the growing body of research on the intergenerational reproduction of family structure and well-being in the United States
Bibliography Citation
Sassler, Sharon, Kristi Williams, Fenaba Addo, Adrianne Frech and Elizabeth C. Cooksey. "Family Structure and High School Graduation: How Children Born to Unmarried Mothers Fare." Genus: Journal of Population Sciences 69,2 (2013): 1-33.
13. Sassler, Sharon
Williams, Kristi
Addo, Fenaba
Frech, Adrianne
Cooksey, Elizabeth C.
Maternal Union Status and Youth Educational Attainment: Does Age at Birth Matter?
Presented: Paris, France, EUCCONET/Society For Longitudinal And Life Course Studies International Conference, October 2012
Cohort(s): NLSY79, NLSY79 Young Adult
Publisher: Society for Longitudinal and Life Course Studies
Keyword(s): Adolescent Fertility; Age at Birth; Cohabitation; Fertility; High School Completion/Graduates; Marital History/Transitions; Marital Status; Parents, Single

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

In 2008, 41% of all births in the United States occurred outside of marriage. Children born to unmarried mothers are often disadvantaged in young adulthood, including being less likely to graduate high school. In recent years, the age composition of mothers has changed; teen births declined substantially, and non-marital births are now most heavily concentrated among women in their twenties. This paper examines whether maternal age at birth differentiates the educational outcomes of children, and if this varies by maternal marital status. Data are from the linked Children and Young Adult sample of the 1979 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY79). We find significant differences in the likelihood of high school graduation among youth born to a never-married versus a married mother. These disparities remain even after including controls for maternal age at birth, as well as social and economic characteristics of mothers prior to the birth. The marital status gap in the likelihood of graduating from high school among youth born to older mothers is far narrower than for youth whose mothers were either teenagers or in their early 20s when they were born, though this finding is limited to white youth. Impacts for racial educational disparities are discussed.
Bibliography Citation
Sassler, Sharon, Kristi Williams, Fenaba Addo, Adrianne Frech and Elizabeth C. Cooksey. "Maternal Union Status and Youth Educational Attainment: Does Age at Birth Matter?" Presented: Paris, France, EUCCONET/Society For Longitudinal And Life Course Studies International Conference, October 2012.
14. Su, Jessica Houston
Dunifon, Rachel
Sassler, Sharon
Better for Baby? The Retreat From Mid-Pregnancy Marriage and Implications for Parenting and Child Well-being
Demography, 52, 4 (August 2015): 1167-1194.
Also: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13524-015-0410-5
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79, NLSY79
Publisher: Population Association of America
Keyword(s): Behavior Problems Index (BPI); Childbearing, Premarital/Nonmarital; Children, Well-Being; Gender Attitudes/Roles; Home Environment; Home Observation for Measurement of Environment (HOME); Marriage; Maternal Employment; Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT- Math); Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT- Reading); Pregnancy and Pregnancy Outcomes; Propensity Scores

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

Recent decades have seen a significant decline in mid-pregnancy ("shotgun") marriage, particularly among disadvantaged groups, which has contributed to increasing nonmarital birth rates. Despite public and political concern about this shift, the implications for parenting and child well-being are not known. Drawing on a sample of U.S. black and white mothers with nonmarital conceptions from the NLSY79, our study fills this gap. Using propensity score techniques to address concerns about selection bias, we found that mid-pregnancy marriages were associated with slightly better parenting quality relative to remaining single, although effect sizes were small and limited to marriages that remained intact at the time of child assessment. Mid-pregnancy marriages were not associated with improved children's behavior or cognitive ability. These findings suggest that the retreat from mid-pregnancy marriage may contribute to increasing inequality in parenting resources for children.
Bibliography Citation
Su, Jessica Houston, Rachel Dunifon and Sharon Sassler. "Better for Baby? The Retreat From Mid-Pregnancy Marriage and Implications for Parenting and Child Well-being ." Demography, 52, 4 (August 2015): 1167-1194.
15. Williams, Kristi
Sassler, Sharon
Addo, Fenaba
Cooksey, Elizabeth C.
Early Childbearing, Union Status, and Women's Health at Midlife
Presented: San Francisco CA, Population Association of America Meetings, May 2012
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: Population Association of America
Keyword(s): Childbearing; Childbearing, Adolescent; Childbearing, Premarital/Nonmarital; Ethnic Differences; First Birth; Health Factors; Health/Health Status/SF-12 Scale; Marital Status; Racial Differences

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

Despite the prevalence of early and nonmarital childbearing, little is known about their long-term consequences for women’s health. We use data from the NLSY79 and multivariate propensity score matching to examine differences in midlife health between women who had an adolescent or young adult first birth and those whose first birth occurred at later ages. We then estimate the effect of marital status at birth and later marital history on the midlife self-assessed health of women who had an early first birth. Results suggest few negative health consequences of early childbearing except for black women who have their first birth in young adulthood. Among those who have an early first birth, marriage at birth appears beneficial for the midlife health of white women, while marriage after a nonmarital birth may pose health risks for black and Hispanic women.
Bibliography Citation
Williams, Kristi, Sharon Sassler, Fenaba Addo and Elizabeth C. Cooksey. "Early Childbearing, Union Status, and Women's Health at Midlife." Presented: San Francisco CA, Population Association of America Meetings, May 2012.
16. Williams, Kristi
Sassler, Sharon
Addo, Fenaba
Frech, Adrianne
First-birth Timing, Marital History, and Women's Health at Midlife
Journal of Health and Social Behavior 56,4 (December 2015): 514-533.
Also: http://hsb.sagepub.com/content/56/4/514.abstract
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: American Sociological Association
Keyword(s): Adolescent Fertility; First Birth; Health/Health Status/SF-12 Scale; Marital History/Transitions; Propensity Scores; Racial Differences

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

Despite evidence that first-birth timing influences women's health, the role of marital status in shaping this association has received scant attention. Using multivariate propensity score matching, we analyze data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 to estimate the effect of having a first birth in adolescence (prior to age 20), young adulthood (ages 20-24), or later ages (ages 25-35) on women's midlife self-assessed health. Findings suggest that adolescent childbearing is associated with worse midlife health compared to later births for black women but not for white women. Yet, we find no evidence of health advantages of delaying first births from adolescence to young adulthood for either group. Births in young adulthood are linked to worse health than later births among both black and white women. Our results also indicate that marriage following a nonmarital adolescent or young adult first birth is associated with modestly worse self-assessed health compared to remaining unmarried.
Bibliography Citation
Williams, Kristi, Sharon Sassler, Fenaba Addo and Adrianne Frech. "First-birth Timing, Marital History, and Women's Health at Midlife." Journal of Health and Social Behavior 56,4 (December 2015): 514-533.
17. Williams, Kristi
Sassler, Sharon
Frech, Adrianne
Addo, Fenaba
Cooksey, Elizabeth C.
Mothers’ Union Histories and the Mental and Physical Health of Adolescents Born to Unmarried Mothers
Journal of Health and Social Behavior 54,3 (September 2013): 278-295.
Also: http://hsb.sagepub.com/content/54/3/278.abstract
Cohort(s): NLSY79, NLSY79 Young Adult
Publisher: American Sociological Association
Keyword(s): Adolescent Health; Age at Birth; CESD (Depression Scale); Cohabitation; Depression (see also CESD); Fertility; Health Factors; Marital History/Transitions; Marital Status; Parents, Single

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

As nonmarital childbearing becomes a dominant pathway to family formation, understanding its long-term consequences for children’s well-being is increasingly important. Analysis of linked mother-child data from the 1979 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth indicates a negative association of having been born to a never-married mother with adolescent self-assessed health but not with depressive symptoms. We also consider the role of mothers’ subsequent union histories in shaping the adolescent health outcomes of youth born to unmarried mothers. With two exceptions, unmarried mothers’ subsequent unions appear to have little consequence for the health of their offspring during adolescence. Adolescents whose mothers subsequently married and remained with their biological fathers reported better health, yet adolescents whose mothers continuously cohabited with their biological fathers without subsequent marriage reported worse adolescent mental health compared with adolescents whose mothers remained continually unpartnered.
Bibliography Citation
Williams, Kristi, Sharon Sassler, Adrianne Frech, Fenaba Addo and Elizabeth C. Cooksey. "Mothers’ Union Histories and the Mental and Physical Health of Adolescents Born to Unmarried Mothers." Journal of Health and Social Behavior 54,3 (September 2013): 278-295.
18. Williams, Kristi
Sassler, Sharon
Frech, Adrianne
Addo, Fenaba
Cooksey, Elizabeth C.
Nonmarital Childbearing, Union History, and Women’s Health at Midlife
American Sociological Review 76,3 (June 2011): 465-486.
Also: http://asr.sagepub.com/content/76/3/465.abstract
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: American Sociological Association
Keyword(s): Adolescent Fertility; Age at First Birth; Cohabitation; Fertility; Health Factors; Health/Health Status/SF-12 Scale; Marital Status; Mothers, Health; Parents, Single; Propensity Scores

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

Despite high rates of nonmarital childbearing in the United States, little is known about the health of women who have nonmarital births. We use data from the NLSY79 to examine differences in age 40 self-assessed health between women who had a premarital birth and those whose first birth occurred within marriage. We then differentiate women with a premarital first birth according to their subsequent union histories and estimate the effect of marrying or cohabiting versus remaining never-married on midlife self-assessed health. We pay particular attention to the paternity status of a mother’s partner and the stability of marital unions. To partially address selection bias, we employ multivariate propensity score techniques. Results suggest that premarital childbearing is negatively associated with midlife health for white and black women, but not for Hispanic women. We find no evidence that the negative health consequences of nonmarital childbearing are mitigated by either marriage or cohabitation for black women. For other women, only enduring marriage to the child’s biological father is associated with better health than remaining unpartnered. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]
Bibliography Citation
Williams, Kristi, Sharon Sassler, Adrianne Frech, Fenaba Addo and Elizabeth C. Cooksey. "Nonmarital Childbearing, Union History, and Women’s Health at Midlife." American Sociological Review 76,3 (June 2011): 465-486.
19. Williams, Kristi
Sassler, Sharon
Frech, Adrianne
Cooksey, Elizabeth C.
Mother's Union History and the Health of Children Born to Single Mothers
Presented: Dallas, TX, Population Association of America Meetings, April 2010
Cohort(s): NLSY79, NLSY79 Young Adult
Publisher: Population Association of America
Keyword(s): Age at Birth; Armed Forces Qualifications Test (AFQT); Bias Decomposition; CESD (Depression Scale); Cohabitation; Depression (see also CESD); Health Factors; Health, Mental/Psychological; Health/Health Status/SF-12 Scale; Marital Status; Marriage; Parental Influences; Parents, Single; Unions

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

Using data from the NLSY79 linked mother-child files, we examine whether children born to single mothers who marry or cohabit have better (or worse) psychological and physical health outcomes in early adulthood than those whose mothers remained unmarried. We limit our analysis to first-born children who were born to and lived with a single mother and distinguish mothers' union histories by marital and cohabitation status, dissolution status of the union, and paternity status of partner. Preliminary results indicate that, on average, children born to single mothers receive few mental or physical health benefits in young adulthood if their mothers subsequently marry or cohabit vs. remain unpartnered.
Bibliography Citation
Williams, Kristi, Sharon Sassler, Adrianne Frech and Elizabeth C. Cooksey. "Mother's Union History and the Health of Children Born to Single Mothers." Presented: Dallas, TX, Population Association of America Meetings, April 2010.