Steven D. McLaughlin

Differential Patterns of Female Labor-force Participation Surrounding the First Birth

5 years of panel data from a national sample of women aged 14 to 24 are used to examine patterns of female labor force participation surrounding the birth of the 1st child. It is argued that declines in labor force participation prior to the 1st birth and increases in participation following the birth will vary by education economic well being and prebirth work experience. In each case the differential patterns of participation surrounding the 1st birth conform to the hypotheses. A case is then made for the importance of recognizing the conditional nature of this dynamic relationship. (authors)

The timing of the first birth and changes in personal efficacy.

Examines the psychological consequences of the 1st birth from the life-course perspective. The 1st birth is seen as a major life event subject to normative constraints regarding its timing. It is hypothesized that a too early 1st birth (age 18 or younger) has negative psychological consequences for the mother in the form of a lowered sense of personal efficacy. No such effect is hypothesized for those remaining childless or for those experiencing an on-time 1st birth age 19 or older). The data are drawn from the National Longitudinal Survey of a cohort of women who were age 14-24 in 1967. Results indicate that having a 1st birth before age 19 reduces personal efficacy regardless of original differences in personal efficacy age education or parental socioeconomic status. (authors modified)

THE EFFECT OF MARITAL STATUS AT FIRST BIRTH ON MARITAL DISSOLUTION AMONG ADOLESCENT MOTHERS

The effect of the sequencing of marriage and first birth on marital dissolution among adolescent mothers is investigated. We compare three groups who had a first live birth before age 20: those married before becoming pregnant, those married between conception and birth, and those who did not marry before the birth. The analysis demonstrates that teenage mothers are less likely to experience a separation if they marry before rather than after the birth. Among those marrying before the birth, there is little difference between those who marry before or after becoming pregnant. The effects of marital status at first birth are shown to vary by race, marital duration, and historical time.

The effects of the sequencing of marriage and first birth during adolescence.

Whether or not they marry, black adolescent mothers are more likely than whites to attend school following the birth of their first child. Marrying to legitimate a birth reduces the likelihood that a teenager will return to school after childbearing; this impact of marriage is much stronger among black than among white teenagers. The timing of marriage appears to affect school enrollment among white teenagers through its impact on living arrangements. However, the negative impact of marriage on educational achievement does not seem to be a consequence of earlier differences in educational expectations among the teenagers. Teenage mothers appear less likely to separate from their husbands in later years if they marry before the birth than if they marry afterward. Delaying marriage until after the birth has a long-term effect on the probability of separation among white teenage mothers, but has only a short-term impact among blacks. Among teenagers who marry before giving birth, there is little difference in the likelihood of separation between those who marry before becoming pregnant and those who do so afterward. In addition, the effect of the sequence of marriage and first birth among white teenage mothers may have declined in recent years. Adolescent mothers who do not marry before their first birth experience a longer interval between that birth and their second than do those who marry either before or during the pregnancy. These differences are primarily the result of short-term variations in the amount of time they spend married; that is, women who are unmarried when they give birth are less likely to have a second birth soon afterward.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Changes in the retirement process among older men in the United States: 1972-1980.

Recent changes in older men’s retirement patterns are investigated for the United States. The results show that labor force incumbents, particularly those in secondary occupations, experienced increases in the volume of both retirement and reentry to the labor force. In addition, although working life expectancy remained relatively stable across occupations, men in secondary occupations spent increasingly greater portions of their work lives in postretirement jobs. Finally, large increases in nonworking life expectancy occurred because of substantial increases in life expectancy. In several occupations, however, declines in working life expectancy were major contributors to increases in nonworking life expectancy.

Do Adolescents Who Relinquish Their Children Fare Better or Worse Than Those Who Raise Them

When background and other characteristics are controlled for, older adolescents who rear their children are as likely as those who place them for adoption to complete high school. However, relinquishers are more likely to complete vocational training and have higher educational aspirations. Further, relinquishers are more likely to delay marriage, to be employed six and 12 months after the birth and to live in higher income households than are child rearers. Child rearers are more likely to become pregnant again sooner and to resolve subsequent pregnancies by abortion. Adolescents who relinquish their children do not suffer more negative psychological consequences than do those who raise their children. Overall, both groups indicated very high levels of satisfaction with their decision to relinquish or to rear, although relinquishers were slightly less satisfied with their decision than were child rearers. The study sample consisted of 123 child rearers and 146 relinquishers who had attended a pregnancy-counseling program affiliated with a large adoption agency that practices open adoption. Hence, the findings are limited to a select sample and should not be generalized beyond adolescents who participate in a similar program.

Canonical Correlation Analysis in Family Research.

With the development of refined theory and increased measurement sophistication in family research, multidimensional concepts and multiple indicators are appearing with increased frequency in the literature. The resulting analytical challenges are especially formidable when the theoretical models require the analysis of two sets of multiple indicators. Although canonical correlation is a technique specifically designed to accommodate this problem, the technique has received little attention in family research. In this paper, we provide a nonmathematical introduction to canonical correlation analysis and three empirical examples that demonstrate the techniques applicability in family research.

The retirement process among older women in the United States. Changes in the 1970s.

Recent changes in the retirement patterns of older women in the United States are examined and the uniformity of changes across occupations is evaluated. Results indicate that both the volume of retirement and labor force reentry increased; women increasingly experienced their first retirement at younger ages; and womens working life expectancy declined while nonworking life expectancy increased due to both declining working life expectancy and lower mortality. Many of these changes were fairly uniform across the occupational structure, maintaining the generally higher levels of working life expectancy in primary occupations. These patterns are compared to those previously observed for older men.