The impact of biological preferences on parental investments in children and step-children

A remarriage typically involves significant changes in a family’s financial circumstance, and these changes, combined with the relative bargaining relationship between spouses, likely affect the well-being of the children who are part of the family. In this paper, I use the separate-spheres model, a theoretical model that explains the determinants of bargaining power in marriage, to analyze how a remarried couple’s bargaining relationship affects their child investment in stepfamilies. Based on this theoretical model, I build and estimate an empirical model that investigates the determinants of parental investment. As evidence of parental preference for biological children over stepchildren, I find that an increased wage rate of a biological mother significantly improves her child investment when her husband is a stepfather of the child, while there is no such effect for mothers living with the biological father of the child.

Adolescents' academic success and aspirations by parental marital status

L'étude des relations entre le statut marital des parents et divers aspects de la condition de vie de leurs enfants constitue un aspect important de la littérature sur la famille. Ce genre de recherche a été trop souvent menéà l'aide ‘d'échantillonages’ cliniques de parents et/ou d'enfants; de plus, ces études ont porté soit sur des families séparées/divorcées ou sur des families en veuvage. Ces recherches ont démontré que les enfants provenant de ces deux types de famille souffrent de multiples désavantages. Visant le succès et les aspirations scolaires, nous avons recensé un large échantillonage représentatif de la population Montréalaise d'adolescents francophones, en classes (privées et publiques) durant l'hiver de 1977. Les résultats obtenus montrent que les adolescents de families séparées/divorcées obtiennent de moins bonnes notes, aiment moins l'école, et s'attendent à quitter leurs études plus tôt que les enfants de couples qui vivent encore ensemble. Les enfants de veufs/veuves occupent une position intermédiate. Ces résultats sont discutés à l'intérieur d'un modèle de désavantages psycho-socio-économiques, et nous offrons des suggestions de recherche au sujet des relations causales pour le futur de ces adolescents. One important facet of the family literature has been to study the relationships between parental marital status and various aspects of children's life situation. This research too often has been carried out on clinical ‘samples’ of parents and/or children; moreover, the emphasis has been either on widowed OY on divorced families. This literature points to disadvantages for children from either types of dissolved unions. Focusing on school success and expectations, we surveyed a large and representative sample of all Montrd francophone teenagers in school (public and private) in the winter of 1977. We found that adolescents from separated / divorced families did less well in school, liked school less, and expected to abandon school earlier the adolescents from legally intact families. Adolescents from widowed families generally occupied an intermediate position. The results are discussed within a framework of psycho-socio-economic disadvantages, and suggestions are offered concerning various potential causal relationships for these adolescents' future.     

Social change,premarital nonfamily experiences,and marital dynamics

We investigate the effects of nonfamily experiences on marital relationships in a setting characterized by high levels of arranged marriage until recently. Drawing on theoretical frameworks for the study of families and social change, we argue that the expansion of opportunities for nonfamily experiences will increase the likelihood of marital relationships based on an emotional bond between husbands and wives. Using data from 3,724 individuals in rural Nepal, we find consistent effects of educational experiences across multiple dimensions of marriage. These effects point toward the spread of education as a stimulus to marriages characterized by higher levels of love and discussions between spouses, and lower levels of conflict and spouse abuse. Results suggest that studies of marital dynamics in non‐Western settings provide a fruitful avenue for new research on marriage.     

Health: A cross-cultural examination of gender and marital status

An examination of the literature implies that being single is not a healthy situation. However, there appears to be disagreement as to whether this finding holds for both males and females. A probability-proportionate-to-size cluster sample of 400 households was drawn from the Dayton Metropolitan area, and a questionnaire about health and civil status was administered. The study was replicated in Australia and New Zealand. A summary of 12 stress-related items reveals that a divorced person is more likely to note feelings of worry, worthlessness, guilt, despondency, and loneliness than a married person. This held true cross-culturally. It is the divorced who are most likely to be involved in suicide thoughts and attempts. Getting drunk once per week or more is largely a singles (as well as a male) prerogative; however, it is more likely to be a never married rather than the divorced person. Overall, the findings indicate that marriage is good for both sexes but seemingly more so for males.     

A Joint Legal/Social Work Services Program Helps Working Women Through the Divorce Process

Abstract

This study examined the effect of divorce on working class women and the effects of social work services of these women's experiences. The study was based on women who were members of a New York City Labor Union.     

Changing marital and family patterns: a test of the post-modern perspective

"Four central constructs of the post-modern perspective are extended and tested using secondary analysis of [U.S.] Census data and the NORC General Social Survey: 1972-94 data sets. The modified postmodern themes of: (1) the decline of a single universal family organizational standard, and (2) growing cultural diversity...were supported by examining changes in American family structure, attitudes toward such structural changes, and changing attitudes toward marital and family patterns over the last quarter century. However, little support was found for the greater use of, and reliance on, (3) the mass media. Mixed results were found on the fourth construct, greater variance in, and/or loss of, personal happiness or personal or family life satisfaction."     

Relational resources, gender consciousness and possibilities of change in marital relationships

Investigating the possibilities of change in marital relationships, we argue, involves examining the interplay of gender consciousness, relational resources and material circumstances in their concrete, interactional manifestations. The attempt to address this interface is grounded in the idea that understanding gender relations necessarily involves both institutional and interactional dimensions. While much research has been devoted to the influence of material or structural resources on indicators such as the domestic division of labour, relatively little direct attention has been given to the issue of differing ‘relational’ or interpersonal resources. We use a multi-method approach based on interviews with women in different occupations to analyse possibilities of change in marital communication and the domestic division of labour in relation both to women's material and to their relational resources. We conclude that a combination of increased gender consciousness and the development of particular inter-personal skills facilitates negotiation and change in the boundaries regulating both communication and the domestic division of labour within the marital relationship.     

Revisiting the relationships among gender,marital status,and mental health

Three decades ago, Grove introduced his sex-role theory of mental illness, which attributes women's higher rates of psychological distress to their roles in society. Central to his hypothesis is that marriage is emotionally advantageous for men and disadvantageous for women. This article revisits this topic with data from the National Survey of Families and Households. The analyses indicate that the emotional benefits of marriage apply equally to men and women, but that men and women respond to marital transitions with different types of emotional problems. The implications of these findings for future research on gender and mental health are discussed.     

Sex,marital status,and suicide in Canada: 1951-1981

Data from Canada for the period 1951-1981 are used to analyze the influence of marital status on suicide. "Using a standardization procedure, it was discovered that a transition from single or widowed to married would entail a greater reduction in suicide risk for men than for women. In the case of a transition from divorced to married status, both sexes would benefit equally in reducing suicide potential. The analysis further demonstrates only weak support for the thesis that over time there would be a convergence in sex differences in the potential protective significance of marriage in reducing suicide risk."     

Repartnering: the relevance of parenthood and gender to cohabitation and remarriage among the formerly married

This paper is an exploratory analysis of the impact of current and anticipated parenthood on cohabitation and remarriage among those formerly living in marriage-type relationships. The focus on children is embedded within a broader analysis of repartnering which takes account of other factors, including gender. Quantitative and qualitative analyses are used, with a multivariate analysis of repartnering patterns, using data from the General Household Survey, being complemented by in-depth interview data examining the attitudes of the formerly married to future relationships. The paper demonstrates that parenthood has a statistically significant effect on the likelihood of formerly married women repartnering, with a higher number of children being associated with a lower probability of repartnering. The presence of children can work against repartnering in a variety of ways. Children place demands on their parents and can deter or object to potential partners. Parents may see their parental role as more important than, and a barrier to, new relationships. However, mothers are typically looking for partners for themselves rather than fathers for their children. Among formerly married people without children, the desire to become a parent encourages repartnering. The paper concludes that parenthood should be a key consideration in analyses of repartnering.     

Marital status,sex, and suicide: new longitudinal findings and Durkheim’s marital status propositions*

Abstract

The purpose of the paper was to use new longitudinal data to investigate the impact of marital status on suicide, and test Durkheim’s marital status propositions. Previous research found marital status was associated with suicide, but some studies neglected sex, most of the research was cross-sectional, and divorce and separated statuses were often combined. Data were obtained from the latest release of the U.S. National Longitudinal Mortality Study (NLMS), consisting of the largest U.S. sample of suicide victims, 2,013 out of 1.5 million persons. Proportional hazards and logistic regression models were fitted to the NLMS data based on follow-up from 1990 to 2011. Results showed that when combined, the divorced and separated were over 88% more likely to suicide than the married (ARR = 1.886, CI = 1.649, 2.156). When split, the divorced had suicide risk that was over 97% higher than that of the married (ARR = 1.973, CI = 1.711, 2.274). Separated individuals experienced suicide risk that was nearly 52% greater than that of the married (ARR = 1.515, CI = 1.130, 2.037). The Mountain and southern census divisions had higher suicide risks than New England. Discussion focused mainly on Durkheim’s theory of suicide.     

Early childbearing, marital status, and women's health and mortality after age 50

This article examines the relationship between a woman's childbearing history and her later health and mortality, with primary focus on whether the association between them is due to early and later socioeconomic status. Data are drawn from the Health and Retirement Study birth cohort of 1931-1941. Results indicate that, conditional on reaching midlife and controlling for early and later socioeconomic status, a first birth before age 20 is associated with a higher hazard of dying. In addition, having an early birth is associated with a higher prevalence of reported heart disease, lung disease, and cancer in 1994. Being unmarried at the time of the first birth is associated with earlier mortality, but this association disappears when midlife socioeconomic status is controlled. The number of children ever born does not significantly affect mortality but is associated with prevalence of diabetes.     

The effects of sexual orientation and marital status on how couples hold their money

Previous research has shown that intrahousehold bargaining power in different-sex couples affects household expenditures and how families hold their money. This article examines the portfolio of bank accounts held by same-sex and different-sex couples and its relationship to bargaining power and individual and relationship characteristics. Data from the U.S. Survey of Consumer Finances suggest that married couples are much more likely to hold money jointly than are same-sex or unmarried different-sex couples, even after accounting for the effects of other characteristics. However, many couples of all types hold money in joint accounts and do so more often in longer term relationships and when rearing children. Proxies for bargaining power help predict whether money will be held in individual accounts for unmarried different-sex and same-sex couples, but not for married couples. These patterns could reflect greater matching of married couples on preferences or the effects of legal and social institutions that differ by marital status and sexual orientation.

Marital status, marital transitions, and health: a gendered life course perspective

We work from a life course perspective to assess the impact of marital status and marital transitions on subsequent changes in the self-assessed physical health of men and women. Our results suggest three central conclusions regarding the association of marital status and marital transitions with self-assessed health. First, marital status differences in health appear to reflect the strains of marital dissolution more than they reflect any benefits of marriage. Second, the strains of marital dissolution undermine the self-assessed health of men but not women. Finally, life course stage is as important as gender in moderating the effects of marital status and marital transitions on health.     

The Ackerman-Schoendorf Scales for Parent Evaluation of Custody (ASPECT): A Review of Research and Update

SUMMARY

The Ackerman-Schoendorf Scales for Parent Evaluation of Custody (ASPECT) was first published in 1992, with the ASPECT-SF developed and published in 2001. Since that time, there have been outcome studies, validity studies, and challenges to the psychometric properties of the ASPECT by various authors. This article addresses the validity studies undertaken since the 1992 publication and responds to the various criticisms leveled against the ASPECT. Discussion includes the use of the original ASPECT and the Short Form in its original format and as a structured interview for child custody evaluations.     

Financial Responsibilities Toward Older Parents and Stepparents Following Divorce and Remarriage

We assessed beliefs about adult children’s responsibilities to financially assist parents and stepparents following later-life divorce and remarriage using a multiple-segment factorial vignette with a national sample (N = 1,121). Ordered logistic regression analyses indicated that beliefs about financial responsibilities to older adults declined after marital transitions, and responsibilities to assist stepparents were more tenuous than to parents. Beliefs about intergenerational responsibilities were affected by adult children’s financial resources and by changes in older adults’ marital statuses. Kinship obligation norms, the adult children’s financial resources, and reciprocity norms were the most common reasons used to explain beliefs about responsibilities to financially assist older parents and stepparents, but these reasons became less salient following divorce and remarriage of the older adult. After marital transitions, beliefs about intergenerational financial responsibilities were more often based on the older adult’s culpability for being in a position of need, relationship quality, and diminished kinship obligations.