Accounting for the Educational Shortfalls of MothersThis Note, a reprint of an article that originally appeared in the Journal of Marriage and the Family in February 1986, examines how marriage and parenthood occurring soon after high school affect postsecondary educational pursuits. Young women who form families differ markedly from other teenagers. As high school seniors, the soon-to-be wives and mothers rank low among their classmates on academic aptitude, scholastic performance, and socioeconomic status. Subsequent educational shortfalls are due as much to these preexisting differences as to whatever burdens family formation may impose. Allowing for these differences, the authors find that, while both marriage and parenthood adversely affect postsecondary educational attainments, on average the effects of marriage are more pronounced than those associated with parenthood. |
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adjusted differences Adult Early adult Adults Late Teens analysis of covariance ATTAINMENT 52 Months background differences base-year survey became mothers became parents Blaschke Bumpass Card and Wise Child Health childbearing David E dependent variable Early adult Late early family formation early marriage early parents Educational Attainment 52 educational pursuits educational shortfalls effects of early effects of marriage estimated Father's education father's occupation Haggstrom Health and Human high school seniors Hofferth hood indicator variables Institute of Child Kanouse Kristin Late Teens Early late-teen parents late-teenage marital status marriage and parenthood married nonparents MonTHS AFTER HIGH Moore Mother's professional status multivariate analysis National Institute nonparents Adult Early outcome measures parenthood effect Percentile rank POSTSECONDARY EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT preexisting differences Rand Corporation respondents Sandra L Santa Monica SHORTFALLS OF MOTHERS single nonparents STANDARD DEVIATIONS survey waves teenage mothers three follow-up surveys tions Urban Institute vector William Lisowski women who form young women