Race-Ethnic Differences in the Non-marital Fertility Rates in 2006-2010

How Parental Incarceration Shapes the Timing and Structure of Fertility for Children of Incarcerated Parents

The timing and structure of fertility have important implications for individuals and society. Families play a critical role in fertility; however, little is known about how parental incarceration shapes fertility despite it being a common experience in the life course of disadvantaged children. This study examines the consequences of parental incarceration for children's fertility using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997. I employ multiple-decrement life tables and survival analyses to estimate the relationship between parental incarceration and fertility. Individuals who experience parental incarceration have different timing of fertility, with earlier first births and a quicker pace of subsequent births, as well as more nonmarital fertility, compared with those who do not experience parental incarceration. This analysis finds consistent evidence that parental incarceration is associated with the timing and structure of fertility and suggests that a parent's incarceration carries consequences over the life course of children. This study advances our understanding of how mass incarceration shapes American families, illustrates how the broader consequences of mass incarceration contribute to social inequality, and provides evidence that the enduring implications of incarceration span multiple generations.

Group Normative Propensities, Societal Positioning, and Childbearing: Ethno‑linguistic Variation in Completed and Desired Fertility in Transitional Central Asia

Considerable research in western, low-fertility contexts has examined minority-vs.-majority fertility differentials, typically focusing on minority groups' cultural idiosyncrasies and on socioeconomic disadvantages associated with minority status. However, the formation and functioning of ethnic complexities outside the western world often diverge from the standard western model and so may their impact on fertility preferences, behavior, and outcomes. We expand on the previous research by analyzing ethnic variation in completed and desired fertility in the multiethnic transitional setting of Kyrgyzstan, where ethnic groups and their ethnolinguistic subparts are characterized by both different stages of the demographic transition and different positioning in the socioeconomic and political hierarchies. Using combined data from two rounds of a nationally representative survey, we find that ethnic-specific levels of completed fertility generally align with culturally shaped group-level normative propensities. In contrast, in desires to have a(nother) child, the ranking of the ethnic segments is more reflective of their collective societal positioning, with more disadvantaged segments having lower fertility desires, regardless of actual number of children and various other characteristics. We also find that ethnic homophily of respondents' social milieu and their optimism about the future of their ethnic group are positively associated with fertility desires, even though these associations are more potently present among women, compared to men. We relate our findings to the extant scholarship and reflect on their implications for a better understanding of ethno-racial fertility dynamics and differentials in transitional contexts.

Adolescent reproductive attitudes and knowledge effects on early adult unintended and nonmarital fertility across gender

Theory and evidence suggest strong short-term effects of attitudes toward, and knowledge about, reproduction on women's fertility. Adolescent attitudes and knowledge may also have longer-term implications about the contexts women perceive as appropriate for childbearing and their capacity to manage their preferences. Although previous research on men's fertility is limited, theory would suggest the links between adolescent attitudes and knowledge and subsequent fertility would also exist for men (though perhaps in different ways given the gendered meanings of sex, contraception, and reproduction). We analyze the relationship between reproductive attitudes and knowledge in adolescence and unintended and nonmarital first and second births in early adulthood, using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (N = 9,431). Adolescent reproductive attitudes, especially life course consequences of early childbearing, predict the intendedness and marital status of first and second births. Adolescent reproductive knowledge is more often linked to the context of second births than first births. These associations vary by gender, but the overall results suggest that fertility schemas developed during adolescence predict behavior into early adulthood.

Timing of vape use among adolescents: Differences by family structure

BACKGROUND

The prevalence of adolescent e-cigarette (vape) use has increased significantly over the past several years. Given the risks associated with vape use, it is important to identify predictors of adolescent vape use onset.

PURPOSE

The primary aim was to examine the time to vape use among adolescents, as a function of parental marital status and living arrangements.

METHODS

A sample of 863 adolescents (M_age = 12.73, SD = 0.70; 52% girls; 61% non-Hispanic White) from public middle schools in the Northeast United States were asked about whether they vaped over the course of three years (fall 2016-spring 2019). Cox proportional hazards (PH) regression models were conducted to examine associations between parental divorce and the timing of vape use, gender differences in the association, and potential differences in the association as a function of living arrangements.

RESULTS

Findings indicated that adolescents with divorced parents at Time 1 vaped earlier, and were 51% more likely to vape than adolescents with married parents. There were no gender differences, or differences in timing among those with divorced parents as a function of living with a step-parent.

CONCLUSION

These findings highlight the importance of identifying familial risk factors associated with early vape use in adolescents.

A Life Course Approach to Understanding Racial/Ethnic Differences in Transitions Into and Out of Alcohol Problems

Aims

Alcohol problems are most prevalent in young adulthood and decrease thereafter, but some studies find that racial/ethnic minorities have elevated alcohol risk beyond the 20s. This study examines racial/ethnic differences in the transitions into and out of alcohol problems, and whether these are explained by heavy drinking (HD), socioeconomic disadvantages and adult role transitions from the 20s to 30s.

Short summary

Racial/ethnic groups had similar risks for earlier onset and recurrence/persistence of alcohol problems, but Blacks were at significantly greater risk than Whites for later onset in the 30s. Cumulative poverty and heavy drinking explained away this disparity, and were risk factors for recurring/persistent problems.

Methods

Using data from the US National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979-1994 waves (n = 6098), past-year alcohol problems were measured in 1989 (mean age = 28) and in 1994 (mean age = 33) among drinkers. Patterns of alcohol problems were categorized as no problems, earlier onset in 20s/offset in 30s, later onset in 30s, and recurrence or persistence (at both time points). Multinomial regression models adjusted for demographics, cumulative poverty, HD and timing of social role transitions (marital, parental).

Results

Compared to Whites, Blacks and Hispanics had similar risks for earlier alcohol problems but greater risk for developing problems in their 30s (AORs = 1.69 and 1.27, respectively, for later onset versus no problems); however, only the Black-White disparity was statistically significant. This was eliminated after taking into account cumulative poverty and lifecourse HD. There were no racial/ethnic differences in risk for recurring/persistent alcohol problems, which were associated with greater cumulative poverty and HD.

Conclusions

While Whites appear to 'age out' of alcohol problems in their 30s, Blacks are at greater risk after young adulthood. These findings signal a need for interventions that target racial/ethnic minorities beyond young adulthood.

Does It Matter What She Wants? The Role of Individual Preferences Against Unmarried Motherhood in Young Women’s Likelihood of a Nonmarital First Birth

Most young people in the United States express the desire to marry. Norms at all socioeconomic levels posit marriage as the optimal context for childbearing. At the same time, nonmarital fertility accounts for approximately 40 % of U.S. births, experienced disproportionately by women with educational attainment less than a bachelor’s degree. Research has shown that women’s intentions for the number and timing of children and couples’ intent to marry are strong predictors of realized fertility and marriage. The present study investigates whether U.S. young women’s preferences about nonmarital fertility, as stated before childbearing begins, predict their likelihood of having a nonmarital first birth. I track marriage and fertility histories through ages 24–30 of women asked at ages 11–16 whether they would consider unmarried childbearing. One-quarter of women who responded “no” in fact had a nonmarital birth by age 24–30. The ability of women and their partners to access material resources in adulthood were, as expected, the strongest predictors of the likelihood of nonmarital childbearing. Nonetheless, I find that women who said they would not consider nonmarital childbearing had substantially higher hazards of fertility postponement and especially of marital fertility, even after controlling for race/ethnicity, mother’s educational attainment, family of origin intactness, self-efficacy and planning ability, perceived future prospects, and markers of own educational attainment and work experience into early adulthood.

Race, Ethnicity, and the Changing Context of Childbearing in the United States

In what ways do childbearing patterns in the contemporary United States vary for white, black, and Hispanic women? Why do these differences exist? Although completed family size is currently similar for white and black women, and only modestly larger for Hispanic women, we highlight persistent differences across groups with respect to the timing of childbearing, the relationship context of childbearing, and the extent to which births are intended. We next evaluate key explanations for these differences. Guided by a "proximate determinants" approach, we focus here on patterns of sexual activity, contraceptive use, and post-conception outcomes such as abortion and changes in mothers' relationship status. We find contraceptive use to be a particularly important contributor to racial and ethnic differences in childbearing, yet reasons for varying use of contraception itself remain insufficiently understood. We end by reflecting on promising directions for further research.