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Book Synopsis Explaining Racial Differences in Family Formation Behavior by :
Download or read book Explaining Racial Differences in Family Formation Behavior written by and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recent trends demonstrate that family formation behavior differs significantly by race. This dissertation investigates reasons for racial differences in family formation behavior. My first study examined the influence of parent-child connectedness during adolescence on subsequent marriage formation. Parent-child connectedness did not differ greatly by race. I found that differences were only present for my measure of emotional connectedness for mothers. Black adolescents reported feeling more connected to their mothers than White adolescents. Although emotional measures of parent-child connectedness were not good predictors of marriage formation, connectedness to mothers was a marginally significant predictor. Interactional measures of connectedness were good predictors of marriage formation for both mothers and fathers; although these measures could not explain differences in marital behavior. My second study examined preferred ages for marriage and childbearing as well as the perceived importance of marriage and childbearing by race, Consistent with the descriptive findings that Blacks marry less often and bear children outside of marriage more often than their White counterparts, this study found that on average the preferred age for childbearing was younger than the preferred age for marriage among African American women while White young women preferred to marry before childbearing. When asked about the most important aspect of family formation, Black women consistently viewed marriage as less important than childbearing. White women viewed marriage as the most important aspect of family formation. My third study assessed the influence of marital perceptions and expectation on subsequent marriage formation among unmarried mothers. Respondents who expected to marry were significantly more likely to actually establish a marital union with their baby's father than those with lower expectations. Those who perceived that marriage would be highly beneficial were less likely to actually marry. While somewhat surprising, this finding was consistent with a high marriage bar perspective. Those who expected that marriage would provide great benefits were most likely those who were unwilling to marry until their partners could live up to their high standard for a marriageable mate. I found that marital expectations and perceptions together were useful for helping to explain racial differences in marriage formation.