Jay D. Teachman

Contributions to Children by Divorced Fathers

Beyond the payment of child support, relatively little is known about the nature and extent of contributions of divorced fathers to their children. Using nationally representative data from a sample of ever-divorced women taken from the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972, the nature and extent of various forms of assistance (in eight areas) provided by divorced fathers are examined. The majority of fathers seldom or never make contributions to their children. Fathers who do contribute to their children have more economic resources and enjoy better relationships with the custodial mother. In addition, there is little support for the notion that fathers substitute other forms of assistance for payment of child support. Rather, other forms of support are provided in addition to making child-support payments.

Gender of children and birth timing

We address the impact of the gender of children on birth timing. Our findings suggest that a preference to balance the gender of children affects the timing of births, not a preference for either sons or daughters. At parity 2, women with children of the same sex time a third birth more rapidly than women with a boy and a girl. At parity 1, women with a boy time second births more rapidly than women with a girl. This seemingly anomalous finding is explained, however, by the fact that women with boys are more likely than women with girls to be married at any point in time and thus less likely to have disrupted fertility careers.

Legal Status and the Stability of Coresidential Unions

Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972, we examine the effect of the legal status of coresidential unions on the likelihood of dissolution. We find that legal unions are much more stable than nonlegal unions. In addition, current legal status is more important for predicting stability of union than is legal status at the initiation of the union. We also find that the effect of current legal status remains constant over various durations of unions and that legalizing a nonlegal union has little effect beyond that expected on the basis of a occupying a particular legal status.

Writing the Names: Marriage Style, Living Arrangements, and First Birth Interval In a Nepali Society*

Using data from a Nepali population, this analysis argues that marriage style and postmarital living arrangements affect coital frequency to produce variations in the timing of first birth after marriage. Event history analysis of the first birth interval for 149 women suggests that women’s autonomy in marriage decisions and marriage to cross-cousins accelerate the pace of entry into first birth. Extended-household residence with reduced natal kin contact, on the other hand, significantly lengthens the first birth interval. These findings are consistent with previous arguments in the literature while offering new evidence for the impact of extended-family residence on fertility.

Influences on the Duration of Wars, Strikes, Riots, and Family Arguments

Utility theory has been frequently applied in the analyses of the outbreak of war. The present study extends the application of utility theory to conflict duration. The authors consider how the perceived utility of continuing conflict changes while conflicts are under way, and posit that conflicts end when the utility of continuing is less than the utility of surrender. Predictions developed from the theory are tested, using hazard models, on duration data from actual wars, strikes, riots, and family arguments. Consistent with utility theory, the likelihood of wars and strikes ending is found to decrease while they are under way, exhibiting a tendency for these conflicts to become entrenched. In sharp contrast to this, but consistent with utility theory, riots and family arguments are more likely to end the longer they last. Size of conflict and dispute issue are shown to effect duration in some circumstances. The results offer a way of explaining how conflicts between “rational” organizations become entrenched and resistant to resolution. Implications for efforts to reduce conflict duration are discussed.

Thirty Years of Demography

In this paper, we present a content analysis of Demography, the official journal of the Population Association of America. Our results reflect patterns of change and stability in a number of areas, including: subjects covered, number of authors, gender of authors, type of data used, source of data used, affiliation of authors and statistical procedures employed. The data suggest that the field of population research has become increasingly bureaucratized and complex, while at the same time continuing to focus on familiar research subjects. A relatively small number of population research centers contribute disproportionately to the journal.

Family, Work, and School Influences on the Decision to Enter the Military

This study uses a large, nationally representative data base to examine the multiple correlates of enlistment of young men in the military. It focuses on the recent experience of the all volunteer force (AVF) and pays particular attention to the effects of work, school, and family roles on enlistment in the military and how these effects vary by race. It is argued that the potential for role incompatibility and conflict between the military and work, school, and family roles reduces the likelihood that men who are employed, in school, married, or fathers will enter the military. The findings show that work and school enrollment significantly reduce the likelihood of enlisting in the military for White men but not for Black men. Marriage and parenthood do not affect the likelihood of military enlistment for either Whites or Blacks.

Gender of Children and Receipt of Assistance From Absent Fathers

Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972, the authors examine the extent to which absent fathers provide various forms of assistance to their children. They also focus on the gender of children as one factor influencing transfers from absent fathers. The results indicate that absent fathers are much more likely to make child support payments than to provide other forms of assistance, especially when their direct participation is required. The authors also find that the gender of children does not influence the provision of most forms of assistance. They conclude with implications for policy.

Returning to school after marriage: Results for whites and blacks

We investigate the impact of various family background, socioeconomic, and life-course factors on the likelihood of white and black women returning to school after marriage. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972, results indicate the following: (a) many married women return to two-year schools rather than four-year schools, (b) blacks are more likely than whites to return to school after marriage, (c) fewer measured predictors are significant in models for blacks and for two-year schools, and (d) changing life-course position affects the likelihood of returning to school.

Economic Conditions, Marital Status, and the Timing of First Births: Results for Whites and Blacks

Relatively little is known about the effects of aggregate economic conditions on first-birth timing. In this paper, we argue that aggregate economic conditions are important macrolevel forces driving the transition to parenthood. We develop and test a causal model, separately by race, in which economic conditions influence both marital status and first-birth timing. Our results indicate that economic conditions are significant predictors of both outcomes, with economic conditions for females having effects different from those for males. A particularly noteworthy finding is that favorable wage trajectories for females lead to a decreased likelihood of being married and slower birth timing (a finding opposite to that predicted on the basis of opportunity costs). For blacks, the majority of the effects of economic conditions on the transition to parenthood are direct, while for whites a significant proportion of effects are indirect through marital status.