Family Welfare Receipt, Welfare Benefit Levels, and the Schooling and Employment Status of Male Youth

Abstract

This study adds to the literature on the impact of family welfare receipt on child well-being by considering whether male youth residing in families receiving welfare are less likely to be enrolled in school and/or working. According to the results of the study, there is no evidence that parental welfare receipt negatively impacts the schooling and employment decisions of teenage white males. There is some evidence that parental welfare receipt increases the proportion of teen black males who are neither working nor in school. However, this effect disappears when the analysis focuses on the impact of welfare benefit levels, suggesting that the significant impact of parental welfare receipt for blacks may be a result of unobserved differences in family characteristics. Finally, for the combined sample of blacks and whites, higher benefit levels result in a statistically significant, though small, increase in the proportion of youth who are employed only, and a corresponding reduction in the proportion who combine work and school.