Coming of Age in Rural America: The Educational and Occupational Outcomes of Rural Young Adults
Open Access
Author:
Kindell, Heather S.
Graduate Program:
Sociology
Degree:
Doctor of Philosophy
Document Type:
Dissertation
Date of Defense:
May 20, 2007
Committee Members:
George Farkas, Committee Chair/Co-Chair Mark Hill, Committee Member Leif Jensen, Committee Member Diane Krantz Mclaughlin, Committee Member
Keywords:
educational attainment rural geographic mobility
Abstract:
Many of the issues related to poverty in rural communities are unique to those communities, and do not mirror the issues associated with poverty in suburban and urban areas. The present study addresses some of the issues facing individuals who come of age in rural and persistently poor communities, which have received limited attention in the existing rural poverty literature. The present study addresses the impact of these factors on a variety of key outcomes influencing quality of life: education and cognitive skill, geographic mobility, individual and household income, unemployment, poverty, and family formation (marital status and childbearing). In addition, the effects of education and geographic mobility on later outcomes are addressed in the context of rurality and persistent poverty, and the effects of cognitive skill on selected outcomes are addressed in the context of rurality and geographic mobility.
