Family Dynamics
Diverging Paths: Heterogeneities in Single Parenthood and Consequences for Child Poverty
Roxana-Diana Burciu & Zachary Parolin
Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World, November 2024
Abstract:
The authors propose an expanded conceptualization of single parenthood that acknowledges within-group heterogeneity and investigate differential short- and long-term poverty outcomes on the basis of pathways into single parenthood. Using representative panel data for the United States, the authors present descriptive trends in the evolution of four pathways into single parenthood (divorce, separation, widowhood, and never getting married) and the diversity of demographic characteristics across these pathways. The authors then identify the associations between pathways into single parenthood and child poverty. In 2019, most single parents were single because they had never been married, compared with the 1970s, when the most common pathway into single parenthood was divorce. Moreover, the authors find large heterogeneities by age, race/ethnicity, and education across the pathways. Never getting married and separation are associated with the most negative consequences for child poverty. In contrast, no statistical differences emerge in children’s later life poverty for those raised by divorced or widowed single parents compared with children raised in two-parent families. The findings demonstrate that studies treating single parenthood as a homogenous demographic overlook meaningful within-group differences. The negative effects of single parenthood are not uniformly distributed among children of single parents. However, a nontrivial part of the heterogeneities between pathways is a result of compositional differences, and the authors do not argue that some single parenthood types are “better or worse” for child poverty outcomes.
Gene-Environment Complementarity in Educational Attainment
Dilnoza Muslimova et al.
Journal of Labor Economics, forthcoming
Abstract:
Firstborns, on average, complete more education than laterborns. We study whether individuals’ endowments measured by genetic information amplify this effect. Our family-fixed effects approach allows exploiting exogenous variation in birth order and genetic endowments among 14,850 siblings in the UK Biobank. We find that those with higher genetic endowments benefit disproportionately more from being firstborn compared to those with lower endowments, providing a clean example of how nature and nurture interact in producing human capital. Since parental investments are a dominant channel driving birth order effects, our results are consistent with complementarity between endowments and investments in human capital formation.
Television and Academic Achievement: Evidence from the Digital Television Transition in the UK
Adrián Nieto Castro
Economic Journal, forthcoming
Abstract:
This paper exploits exogenous variation in the transition date from analogue to digital television signal in the UK across more than 32,000 geographical units to examine the causal impact of television on academic performance and potential mechanisms. Using a large administrative dataset on the universe of students in public education in England, I show that the switchover increased pupil test scores and that the effect is driven by economically disadvantaged students. Using TV market data and a child survey dataset, I investigate possible mechanisms. I show that the digital transition considerably increased TV viewing time and displaced forms of socialization associated with risky behaviour for disadvantaged children.
Education and Preferences for Desired Traits in Children
Naci Mocan & Nur Orak
NBER Working Paper, November 2024
Abstract:
There is a strong correlation between the preferences and beliefs of parents and their children. Also, children of more educated parents tend to have different preferences and beliefs than those of less educated parents. However, evidence on whether education influences adults’ preferences regarding the attributes they wish to instill in children is missing. This paper seeks to fill that gap. Utilizing compulsory education reforms implemented in 19 European countries and data from the Integrated Values Survey -- which includes questions about essential qualities children should be encouraged to learn at home -- we demonstrate that women who acquired additional education due to these reforms are more likely to prioritize imagination, determination and perseverance, and a sense of responsibility as important traits to instill in children. Conversely, they are less inclined to regard religiosity, obedience, and unselfishness as essential attributes for children to learn at home. In addition, we find that education reduces women's religiosity. These effects are primarily driven by Catholic women and women living in majority-Catholic countries. In contrast, education does not have a significant impact on men's religiosity or the child attributes they consider important.
Learning and Transfer: A Perspective From Action Video Game Play
Daphne Bavelier & Shawn Green
Current Directions in Psychological Science, forthcoming
Abstract:
A growing body of research documents the positive impact that action video game play has on a range of cognitive skills. Such a result, in which training on one task promotes a broad variety of benefits, is a rarity in the cognitive training domain. Instead, the more typical result is that training on one task promotes benefits on that task alone with only limited transfer to untrained tasks. We have proposed that action video game play promotes broad generalization by first enhancing attentional control abilities. This in turn allows for more information to be accrued as one experiences a new task and thus faster learning of that new task. Possible theoretical and practical considerations of such a view are discussed.