Employment, Precarious Employment, and Unemployment Among Female Immigrant Youth in the United States

Abstract

This article utilizes data sourced from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health to investigate the influence of various factors on the labor-force participation of young American women, including immigrant generational status, race/ethnicity, peer- and neighborhood-based indicators of social capital, and other predictors. The study defines labor-force participation according to three distinct outcomes: employment status, underemployment, and precarious employment. The findings reveal notable distinctions between generational immigrant groups; specifically, first-generation immigrants exhibit a lower likelihood of employment but a higher likelihood of underemployment and precarious employment when compared with third-generation women. Additionally, a positive association emerged between the mother’s education and employment, on the one hand, and her daughter’s employment, on the other.