Household Income,Women's Earnings,and Spending on Household Services, 1980–2010

The authors investigated changes in household outsourcing, the practice of spending on services that replace household labor, from 1980 to 2010. During this time, women's labor force participation, increased and economic, household bargaining, and time availability theories predict increased spending during this period. To test these predictions, the authors used data on spending on housekeeping, day care, babysitting and nannies, gardening and lawn services, eating out and pre‐prepared foods from the 1980–2010 Consumer Expenditure Surveys using 327,903 household‐quarters from the interview survey and 86,877 household‐weeks from the diary survey. The results indicate that changes in income predicted increases in housekeeping, child care, and gardening services. Changes in household characteristics predicted little change in food outsourcing, although food outsourcing did increase. Changes in women's earnings predicted little change in most outsourcing. The authors conclude the article with a discussion of the changing context for outsourcing.     

Maternal Functioning, Time, and Money: The World of Work and Welfare

Numerous studies have assessed families' employment and financial stability following welfare reform. Yet little research has addressed whether welfare and work transitions are linked with other changes in family functioning. Using a representative sample of approximately 2,000 low-income urban families from the Three-City Study, analyses assessed whether mothers' welfare and employment experiences over a two-year period following welfare reform were related to changes in family well-being. Lagged regression models controlling for family characteristics and earlier levels of functioning found that moving into employment and stable employment (of 30 hours or more per week) were linked to substantial increases in income and improvements in mothers' psychological well-being. Movements into employment also were associated with declines in financial strain and food insecurity. Sustained or initiated welfare receipt was related to relative declines in income, physical health, and psychological well-being, but also to improved access to medical care. In contrast, mothers' welfare and work experiences showed very limited relations to changes in the quality of parenting or of children's home environments. These patterns were similar for families with young children and those with adolescent children. Results suggest that parenting behaviors are more resistant to change than are maternal emotional and economic functioning.     

Household registration,economic reform and migration

Everyone born in China has a household registration which identifies the type of household registration, agricultural or nonagricultural, determined by the household one is born into and the official residence. While determining one's type of residence, household registration also determines one's eligibility and access to government social services and benefits, and influences one's motivation to migrate. The author explores the relationship between type of household registration and the type of and reasons for migration in China. Data are used from the Zhejiang Province segment of the 1986 National Urban Migration Survey. The Zhejiang part of the survey sampled approximately 1400 households with 5229 individuals. Results suggest that agricultural registration is a clear deterrent to permanent migration, but does not influence temporary migration. Permanent migrants with agricultural registration predominantly move for noneconomic reasons, while those with nonagricultural registration are more likely motivated by economic reasons. The pattern is reversed in temporary migration. A key to understanding individual migration behavior is to understand household registration and its function as the intermediary through which the government exercises control over migration. Overall, changing market conditions associated with economic reforms account for these new patterns of spatial mobility.     

The Association Between Natural Amenities, Rural Population Growth, and Long-Term Residents' Economic Well-Being

Population growth in rural areas characterized by high levels of natural amenities has recently received substantial research attention. A noted concern with amenity-driven rural population growth is its potential to raise local costs-of-living while yielding only low-wage service sector employment for long-term residents. The work presented here empirically models long-term rural residents' economic well-being, making use of longitudinal data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. In general, the results suggest that long-term rural families residing in high-growth amenity and recreation areas tend to have higher annual incomes than do their counterparts in non-growth amenity/recreation areas, regardless of the sex, race, or age of the family head. However, higher costs-of-living in these areas supplant any relative gains in income. As such, these analyses provide empirical evidence of patterns inferred by earlier anecdotal evidence and case studies.     

Unpacking Within‐Household Gender Differences in Partners' Subjective Benefits From Household Income

The authors examine how contributions to household resources, indicated by employment status, influence satisfaction with household income (SWHI) for members of male/female couples. They take changes in SWHI, which may differ within couples, to indicate changes in perceived benefits from their common household income, benefits that can go beyond individual consumption. Using data from the British Household Panel Survey for 2,396 couples from 1996 to 2007, three gender effects are identified. First, men predominate in making the type of contribution that most positively influences SWHI, namely, full‐time employment. Second, the effect of contributions depends on the gender of the contributor, with men's employment being more influential than women's. Third, within couples, making the more influential contribution, as men tend to do, leads to relatively greater SWHI. The authors conclude that gender asymmetry in contributions made to household resources is one way in which gender inequalities invade and inhabit households.     

How do changes in income,employment and health insurance affect family mental health spending?

Using eight two-year panels from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data for the period 2004 to 2012, we examine the effect of economic shocks on mental health spending by families with children. Estimating two-part expenditure models within the correlated random effects framework, we find that employment shocks have a greater impact on mental health spending than do income or health insurance shocks. Our estimates reveal that employment gains are associated with a lower likelihood of family mental health services utilization. By contrast employment losses are positively related to an increase in total family mental health. We do not detect a link between economic shocks and mental health spending on behalf of fathers.

     

Family financial roles assumed by sex trafficking survivors upon community re-entry: Findings from a financial diaries study in the Philippines

People who have been trafficked often face substantial financial challenges upon exiting human trafficking and re-entering the community. This article presents findings from a 6-month financial diaries study with the households of 30 women in Cebu City, Philippines, who were trafficked into sex work. Data from 352 interviews with sex trafficking survivors and their family members were utilized to explore the roles that trafficking survivors played in promoting the economic well-being of their families upon community re-entry, as well as the challenges they faced in fulfilling these roles. Findings revealed that women who were trafficked balanced multiple roles in their families—including that of income earner, household financial manager, and financial providers for the extended family. Survivors’ limited access to employment was a key barrier that impeded their ability to achieve financial stability for themselves, their children, parents, and other family members. The employment status of trafficking survivors affected numerous crosscutting factors—including the extent to which they were able to control household finances, redistribute income to their parents, and leave violent relationships. Findings reinforce the importance of safe, sustainable employment opportunities for the security and well-being of trafficking survivors and their families.     

Parents' time use: A 1967–1986 comparison

The purpose of this article is to report the different time allocations of parents with an infant in 1967 and in 1986 in order to observe changes in household production, childcare, and total obligatory activities. The sample is a subset of 84 families from a 1967 study of two-parent families and from 108 families from a study of first-time parents in 1986.Multivariate analysis of covariance is used to indicate the effects of variables such as age, education, and employment of the parents as well as appropriate interaction terms before allowing the factor of sample year to allow for variance. The effect for sample year then is adjusted for other variables in the sample. Significant differences in time use, all other variables held constant, are observed in mothers' time in childcare, in household production, and in total obligatory activities. Fathers' time in childcare and in total obligatory activities significantly increase. Implications for family well-being are drawn.     

The consumer expenditures of elderly women: Racial,marital, and rural/urban impacts

This research, using data from the interview component of the 1990 Consumer Expenditure Survey (CES), examines the main and interaction effects of race, marital status, and residence on the economic well-being of women 65 years or older (N=3,205). Economic well-being is measured by total annualized expenditures of the household for goods and services. The first hypothesis is supported: race, marital status, and urban or rural residence each has a major effect on the economic well-being of older women after adjusting for the effects of age and household size. The characteristics of nonwhite, nonmarried, and rural are associated with lower economic well-being. The second hypothesis is not supported: race, marital status, and residence do not interact to produce differences in the economic well-being of older women. Both hypotheses are examined by analysis of covariance. The results show the economic diversity of older women and the persistent effects of race, marital status, and rural or urban residence on the economic well-being of older women regardless of age and household size. This research was conducted at the Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture (Family Economics Research Group), Hyattsville, MD, July 1992, where Dr. Kivett was a Visiting Scientist at the time. Appreciation is expressed to the staff of the Family Economics Research Group for their technical assistance at all stages of the research. and 1992 Visiting Professor at the Family Economics Research Group, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Her current research interests include the family supports and relationships of older retired migrants. She received her Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Her current research interests include the economic status of elderly American households. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Maryland.     

The future in anti-poverty strategies

The uneven distribution of income and assets in the United States continues to have negative effects on the personal, social, and economic well-being of adults and children. Poverty affects the entire family and is often associated with household instability, school dropouts, teen pregnancies, and intergenerational poverty. Although income-based anti-poverty policy initiatives have helped individuals with children meet their basic consumptive needs, they have done little to help families lay a foundation for their futures. The implementation of asset-building programs that provide Individual Development Accounts (IDAs) to both adults and children reflects an approach to reducing the incidence and impact of poverty in the United States. Current state and federal policy initiatives that are designed to help economically vulnerable individuals build assets are also described in this paper. Implications of asset-building program and policy initiatives on the well-being of low-income children and adults, households, and communities are discussed to demonstrate the impact that resources and opportunities have on the social and economic growth of the entire family.     

How discrimination in adoptive,foster, and medical systems harms LGBTQ+ families: Research on the experiences of prospective parents

Abstract

LGBTQ+?people face multiple challenges to parenthood because of barriers such as discriminatory legislation and policies influencing foster parenting, adoption, and reproductive health services. This study documents these obstacles and examines their impact through a grounded theory analysis of interviews of LGBTQ+?prospective parents. Stressors included social isolation, unnecessary medicalization, prohibitive financial costs related to accessing social and medical services (sometimes across state lines), and being denied services, parental leave, and insurance coverage. Findings indicate that heteronormative attitudes and discrimination can lead to debilitating and enduring harm upon the economic, emotional, and relational well-being of growing LGBTQ+?families.     

Poverty,Place, and Coal Employment across Appalachia and the United States in a New Economic Era

The impacts of employment in the coal industry remain controversial. Few studies have investigated these impacts over the decade of the great recession and in light of the nation's changing energy economy. We bring together two long‐standing rural sociological traditions to address debates framed at the national level and for Appalachian communities facing the throes of transition from the coal industry. Building from rural sociology's “poverty and place” tradition and from natural resources sociology, we examine the relationship between coal employment and communities’ economic well‐being as indicated by poverty, household income, and unemployment. The study spans U.S. and Appalachian counties from 1990 to 2010. U.S. counties with greater coal employment in 1990 had lower income and higher poverty in 2000. Overall, however, coal employment's effect is mixed in the 1990–2000 decade. By contrast, for the recent 2000–2010 decade, coal employment is positively associated with indicators of well‐being. In Appalachia, fewer employment alternatives outside mining are related to higher well‐being. Our findings extend the poverty and place literature and the natural resources literature and underscore why a just transition away from coal should focus on moving communities toward sectors offering better future livelihoods.     

Low wages and high unemployment rates: The role of social interactions in hiring discrimination

The purpose of this paper is to explain why low-wage workers with identical qualifications to higher-wage workers are more exposed to unemployment. Each worker is considered to belong to a social group (defined according to his/her gender, age, and nationality). We assume that workers experience both productive interdependencies and social interactions within the firm. Also inter- and intra-group interactions determine worker productivity, and frictions on the labor market limit the hiring of the most productive workers. Consequently, externalities acting both within the firm and in the labor market can lead to a higher rate of unemployment for low-wage workers.     

Psychological Theories and Low-Wage Work

Low-wage work is a modern social problem, affecting millions of individuals, families, and communities. The field of psychology is a critical starting point for examining the relationship between low-wage work and mental health. This literature review aims to identify psychological theories related to low-wage work. Psychological theories related to work and employment are explored, as is emerging research on the necessity of a paradigm shift from the dichotomous categories of “employed” and “unemployed,” which allows for the conceptualization of employment as a continuum. This research focuses on underemployment and may contribute to the development of theory directly relating to low-wage work.     

The Shale Boom and Family Structure: Oil and Gas Employment Growth Relationship to Marriage,Divorce, and Cohabitation

Shale oil and gas extraction technology has caused a large shift in the United States' energy landscape over the last decade. This had a wide range of impacts on rural communities mostly in which oil and gas extraction occurs. While many studies have focused on the economic and environmental impact of shale development, researchers have only begun to study the social changes brought on by the shale resource extraction. We examine the influence of shale oil and gas employment as a share of overall county employment on county marriage, divorce, and cohabitation rates. We find evidence that oil and gas employment growth is associated with decreased marriage rates and increased divorce rates from 2009 to 2014. We test several channels through which oil and gas development may influence marriage behaviors and find that changes in female labor force participation, county sex ratios, and median household incomes are associated with oil and gas development. We also test for differences across the rural/urban continuum and find that our results are largely driven by nonmetro counties.     

Household finances and well-being in Australia: An empirical analysis of comparison effects

This paper explores the importance of the household’s financial position for an individual’s level of well-being. Initially, the empirical analysis, based on the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey, a large nationally representative panel survey, aims to ascertain the impact of the household’s monetary financial position on overall life satisfaction and financial well-being, with the latter being measured by financial satisfaction and subjective prosperity. The empirical analysis confirms that the household’s level of net wealth, assets and debt are important determinants of overall life satisfaction and financial well-being. The paper goes on to explore whether the financial situation of households in a comparison group influences an individual’s overall life satisfaction and financial well-being. The results suggest that the financial position of households in the comparison group is an important determinant of an individual’s level of overall life satisfaction and financial well-being, with information effects generally dominating comparison effects. In addition, the effects of the comparison group are asymmetric depending on whether a household’s financial position is above or below the average of the reference group.     

Relations Between Economic Well-Being,Family Support,Community Attachment,and Life Satisfaction Among LGBQ Adults

While studies with the general population indicate that one’s life satisfaction is related to economic well-being and social support, much less is known about these constructs among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer (LGBQ) populations. The current study examines the relationship between economic well-being and life satisfaction in a sample of 458 LGBQ individuals. Further, the direct and moderating effects of family and community support are examined. As hypothesized, perceived financial stress and proximal family support each had a significant main effect on life satisfaction. Household income (adjusted by number of individuals living in the household) had a non-linear effect on life satisfaction. Community support for LGBQ individuals was not associated with life satisfaction, and the moderating hypotheses were not supported. The findings and the implications for future research are discussed.     

Household Structure and Short‐Run Economic Change in Nicaragua

During the economic crises Nicaragua suffered between 2000 and 2002, a conditional cash transfer program targeting poor households began operating. Using panel data on 1,397 households from the program's experimentally designed evaluation, we examined the impact of the program on household structure. Our findings suggest that the program enabled households to avoid reagglomeration during the economic crises, with households in control communities growing more than treated households. These changes were driven primarily by shifts in residence of relatively young men and women with close kinship ties to the household head. In contrast, households that received transfers continued to send off young adult members, suggesting that the program provided resources to overcome the short‐term economic pressures on household structure.     

The roles of role strain,economic resources and time demands in explaining mothers' life satisfaction

Time diary and questionnaire data from mothers who are full-time homemakers, members of dual-earner households, and heads of single-parent households are analyzed to determine the influence of family structure, economic resources, and time demands on their life satisfaction. The multivariate analysis reveals that family structure is moderately related to mothers' satisfaction with progress in life but not to satisfaction with life as a whole. Mothers' satisfaction with life as a whole does vary with their life cycle stage, economic situation, and their use of time.Her research interests include time use of household members and CADD education for interior design students. She received her Ph.D. from Michigan State University.Her research assesses the impact of household composition changes on economic well-being. She received her Ph.D. from Cornell University.