Early Academic Ability, Family Formation, and Educational Attainment: Examining the Role of Childbirth and Union Formation among Young Women
Open Access
Author:
Steward, Nicole R
Graduate Program:
Sociology
Degree:
Master of Arts
Document Type:
Master Thesis
Date of Defense:
April 16, 2009
Committee Members:
Alan Booth, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor Alan Booth, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor
Keywords:
marriage fertility educational attainment cohabitation
Abstract:
Past research has shown that a number of individual and family factors are associated with educational attainment. Among these factors, marital status, union formation, and parenthood have been found to significantly impact educational attainment; however, the timing of these transitions have not been examined together to understand their impact on high school and college degree attainment. Using data derived from the National Longitudinal Study of Health (Add Health), event history techniques are used to understand the relationship between the timing of family formation and educational attainment and the characteristics associated with degree attainment for women who have experienced family formation prior to degree attainment. These relationships are further examined by race. Findings indicate that not all forms of family formation have a negative impact on college degree attainment; however, an early birth lowered the likelihood of both high school and college completion. Contrary to prior findings, the effect of first birth did not vary by race, nor were any racial differences found in the effect of resilience characteristics. For young women who engaged in early family formation, early academic potential and aspirations appeared to act as a buffer and were associated with increased likelihood of degree completion. These findings suggest that highly motivated students may find ways to overcome obstacles to degree completion.
