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The Effect of Economic Opportunity and Family Background on Adolescent Cohabitation and Childbearing among Low-Income Blacks

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  • Olsen, Randall J
  • Farkas, George

Abstract

This article uses a hazards model permitting continuous covariates and fixed effects to estimate the effect of local employment opportunity and family background on the cohabitation and childbearing of black youths from low-income households. Support is found for W. J. Wilson's hypothesis that employment opportunity discourages childbearing outside such unions. However, the latter effect appears to be larger, suggesting that the opportunity-cost hypothesis is the primary channel through which higher employment rates result in lower rates of illegitimacy among underclass youths. Copyright 1990 by University of Chicago Press.

Suggested Citation

  • Olsen, Randall J & Farkas, George, 1990. "The Effect of Economic Opportunity and Family Background on Adolescent Cohabitation and Childbearing among Low-Income Blacks," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 8(3), pages 341-362, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucp:jlabec:v:8:y:1990:i:3:p:341-62
    DOI: 10.1086/298226
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    Cited by:

    1. Terra G. McKinnish, 2007. "Sexually Integrated Workplaces and Divorce: Another Form of On-the-Job Search," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 42(2).
    2. Ermisch, John, 2000. "Employment opportunities and pre-marital births in Britain," ISER Working Paper Series 2000-26, Institute for Social and Economic Research.
    3. Paul Schultz, T., 2004. "School subsidies for the poor: evaluating the Mexican Progresa poverty program," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 74(1), pages 199-250, June.
    4. Derek Neal, 2004. "The Relationship Between Marriage Market Prospects and Never-Married Motherhood," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 39(4).
    5. Carol Horton Tremblay & Davina C. Ling, 2005. "AIDS education, condom demand, and the sexual activity of American youth," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 14(8), pages 851-867, August.
    6. Francine D. Blau & Lawrence M. Kahn & FJane Waldfogel, 2004. "The Impact of Welfare Benefits on Single Motherhood and Headship of Young Women: Evidence from the Census," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 39(2).
    7. Emilia Del Bono, 2004. "Pre-Marital Fertility and Labour Market Opportunities: Evidence from the 1970 British Cohort Study," Economics Series Working Papers 202, University of Oxford, Department of Economics.
    8. Kerr, Amanda, 2023. "A shortage of brides: China’s one child policy and transitions of men into marriage," Research in Economics, Elsevier, vol. 77(3), pages 310-321.
    9. Paul Glewwe & Michael Kremer & Sylvie Moulin, 1998. "Textbooks and test scores: Evidence from a prospective evaluation in kenya," Natural Field Experiments 00255, The Field Experiments Website.
    10. Derek Neal, 2001. "The Economics of Family Structure," NBER Working Papers 8519, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    11. Michael Kremer & Sylvie Moulin & Robert Namunyu, 2003. "Decentralization: A cautionary tale," Natural Field Experiments 00290, The Field Experiments Website.
    12. Wilhelmina Leigh, 2004. "Does place matter? Births to African American and Latina adolescents," The Review of Black Political Economy, Springer;National Economic Association, vol. 32(1), pages 47-64, September.
    13. Arif A. Mamun, 2006. "The White Picket Fence Dream: Effects of Assets on the Choice of Family Union," Mathematica Policy Research Reports 01ccaca54ad44dc89c4f3f393, Mathematica Policy Research.
    14. Waters, Melissa S. & Ressler, Rand W., 1999. "An economic model of cohabitation and divorce," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 40(2), pages 195-206, October.
    15. Fein, David J., 2001. "Will welfare reform influence marriage and fertility? Early evidence from the ABC demonstration," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 24(4), pages 427-444, November.
    16. Jordan Matsudaira, 2016. "Economic conditions and the living arrangements of young adults: 1960 to 2011," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 29(1), pages 167-195, January.
    17. Kirby, Douglas & Coyle, Karin, 1997. "Youth Development Programs," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 19(5-6), pages 437-454.
    18. Francine D. Blau, 1998. "Trends in the Well-Being of American Women, 1970-1995," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 36(1), pages 112-165, March.
    19. Jordan D. Matsudaira, 2016. "Economic conditions and the living arrangements of young adults: 1960 to 2011," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 29(1), pages 167-195, January.
    20. repec:mpr:mprres:5009 is not listed on IDEAS
    21. Georgios Mavropoulos & Theodore Panagiotidis, 2023. "The role of relative income in the share of children born out-of-wedlock in the USA," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 64(3), pages 1105-1120, March.
    22. Black, Dan A. & McKinnish, Terra G. & Sanders, Seth G., 2003. "Does the availability of high-wage jobs for low-skilled men affect welfare expenditures? Evidence from shocks to the steel and coal industries," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(9-10), pages 1921-1942, September.

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