Impact Of Marriage Research Articles

The impact of marriage and parenthood on male body mass index: Static and dynamic effects

RationaleNumerous cross-sectional studies investigated the link between marital status and BMI in the context of competing social science theories (marriage market, marriage selection, marriage protection and social obligation), frequently offering conflicting theoretical predictions and conflicting empirical findings. ObjectiveThis study analysed the effects of marriage, divorce, pregnancy, and parenthood on male BMI in a longitudinal setting, avoiding the estimation bias of cross-sectional studies and allowing for an analysis of BMI fluctuation over time and the dynamic effects of these events. MethodUsing the Panel Study of Income Dynamics 1999–2013 dataset (N = 8729), this study was the first to employ a dynamic panel-data estimation to examine the static and dynamic effects of marriage, divorce, and fatherhood on male BMI. ResultsThe study showed that married men have higher BMI, but marital status changes largely drove this static effect, namely, an increase in BMI in the period following marriage, and a decrease in BMI preceding and following divorce. ConclusionsThus, this study found marked evidence in support of the marriage market and social obligation theories' predictions about male BMI, and supports neither marriage protection theory nor marriage selection theory. Wives’ pregnancies had no significant effect on BMI; instead, men tend to have higher BMI in the periods following childbirth. Finally, analyses showed marked contemporaneous correlations between husband and wife BMI over the course of marriage.

Same-sex marriage laws and demand for mortgage credit

Marriage for same-sex couples was only permitted in a limited number of states prior to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges. We exploit panel variation across states prior to the Supreme Court decision to investigate the effect of marriage laws on demand for mortgage credit. Identification relies on the fact that states permitted same-sex marriage at different points in time, often through court order whereby the outcome and timing of ruling was unknown. We estimate that states permitting same-sex marriage experienced a 6–16% increase in same-sex mortgage applications after the policy was implemented. Federal recognition of marriage is associated with a stronger effect than state same-sex marriage prior to the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, but the effect of state-recognized marriage is also stronger than anti-discrimination policies in housing. Our findings provide important insight not only to the housing choices of same-sex households but the impact of marriage on all households.

Gender wage differences in Nigerian self and paid employment: Do marriage and children matter?

AbstractThis article investigates gender differences in Nigeria, in the impact of marriage and children on location in the self or waged employment sector, and on income from work. Findings show that the pay structure varies across employment sectors – waged and self-employed – and that the determinants of employment sector vary by gender and family roles. Differences in human capital investment and geopolitical zones also need to be considered. The estimates in the study reveal that there is a marriage premium for both males and females in the waged labour market, but partially support Becker’s (1991) gender-based household specialisation model in terms of the relative incidence of self-employment. There is a wage penalty for married women with children in the paid-employment labour market, but motherhood is also negatively associated with income levels for self-employed women. We also find a fatherhood penalty for paid-employed men. Nevertheless, overall, the gender difference is higher in relatively less regulated self-employment compared to the more regulated paid employment labour market. Findings therefore offer some policy inputs but also suggest the need for further research into the causes of the gender pay gap in self- and paid employment, and thus into the overall wage gap in Nigeria that inhibits women’s labour market participation and welfare.

The psychosocial impact of epilepsy on marriage: A narrative review.

There have been many studies exploring quality of life as well as the impact of epilepsy on the affected individual. However, epilepsy affects more than the patients themselves, and there seems to be a paucity of data regarding the impact of epilepsy beyond the person with epilepsy (PWE). In particular, it is uncertain what the impact of epilepsy on marriage may be. We therefore performed a narrative review to evaluate work measuring the psychosocial effect of epilepsy on marriage. We reviewed the literature on epilepsy and marriage by searching PubMed (Medline) and EMBASE and thoroughly examining relevant bibliographies. Forty-two papers were identified that addressed the issue of the psychosocial effect of epilepsy on marriage. The different approaches used to assess the impact of epilepsy on marriage can be broadly grouped into three categories: assessment of the social effect of living with epilepsy, which includes the marital prospects of PWEs and how changes in martial status associate with seizure frequency; assessment of quality of life (QOL) of PWEs; assessment of the association of social support with the disease burden of epilepsy. Within each of these approaches, different research methods have been employed including questionnaires, qualitative methods, and scales. The studies reviewed indicate that epilepsy has a severe impact on individuals and their families. While many quality-of-life surveys do comment on the marital status of the patient, there is little expansion beyond this. The impact that seizures may have on the partner of a patient with epilepsy is barely addressed. With increasing incidence of epilepsy in older populations, potential changes in the dynamic of a long-term marriage with the development of epilepsy in older age are not known. Similarly, the impact of marriage on concordance with medication or proceeding to, for example, surgical treatment for pharmacoresistant epilepsy has not been studied in detail. We suggest ways in which to address these aspects in order to better deliver holistic care to patients with epilepsy and their partners.

Different Social Influences and Desistance From Crime

Desistance from crime has been associated with numerous social influences. Although researchers have explored different theoretical rationales and underlying mechanisms between external social developments and individual changes in behavior, little focus has been given to the individual versus cumulative influences, and social complexities, of different informal controls influencing reduction in criminal behavior. The current study explores the individual and combined impact of marriage and employment on arrest using 17 years of monthly level data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (1997). The results address isolated and cumulative influences of each social control on arrest and provide insight into the relevance of acknowledging the complexities of social events developing over time.

Early Marriage Impact on Female

Early Marriage Impact on Female

Abstracts

The impact of marriage, contraception, induced abortion and postpartum infecundability on fertility decline in Viet Nam between 1997 and 2002 are examined in the present paper. The authors use a Bongaarts model to determine the contribution of each factor to fertility changes in Viet Nam, based on data obtained from the 1997 and 2002 rounds of the Viet Nam Demographic and Health Survey. The authors show that there are significant differences between rural and urban areas. The study reveals that in urban areas, the decline in fertility can be attributed mainly to delayed marriage, an increase in induced abortion and increased postpartum infecundability, while the contribution of the increased use of contraceptives is negligible. In rural areas, the decreasing proportion of married women, contraceptive use and induced abortion are the main factors responsible for the decline in fertility. The authors also find that the high incidence of induced abortions can largely be attributed to limited use of modern contraceptive methods.

Behavioral, Biological, and Demographic Risk and Protective Factors for New HIV Infections Among Youth in Rakai, Uganda

Prevalence of HIV infection is considerable among youth, although data on risk factors for new (incident) infections are limited. We examined incidence of HIV infection and risk and protective factors among youth in rural Uganda, including the role of gender and social transitions. Participants were sexually experienced youth (15-24 years old) enrolled in the Rakai Community Cohort Study, 1999-2008 (n = 6741). Poisson regression with robust standard errors was used to estimate incident rate ratios (IRR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of incident HIV infection. HIV incidence was greater among young women than young men (14.1 vs. 8.3 per 1000 person-years, respectively); this gender disparity was greater among teenagers (14.9 vs. 3.6). Beyond behavioral (multiple partners and concurrency) and biological factors (sexually transmitted infection symptoms), social transitions such as marriage and staying in school influenced HIV risk. In multivariate analyses among women, HIV incidence was associated with living in a trading village (adjusted IRR (aIRR) = 1.48; 95% CI: 1.04 to 2.11), being a student (aIRR = 0.22; 95% CI: 0.07 to 0.72), current marriage (aIRR = 0.55; 95% CI: 0.37 to 0.81), former marriage (aIRR = 1.73; 95% CI: 1.01 to 2.96), having multiple partners, and sexually transmitted infection symptoms. Among men, new infections were associated with former marriage (aIRR = 5.57; 95% CI: 2.51 to 12.36), genital ulceration (aIRR = 3.56; 95% CI: 1.97 to 6.41), and alcohol use (aIRR = 2.08; 95% CI: 1.15 to 3.77). During the third decade of the HIV epidemic in Uganda, HIV incidence remains considerable among youth, with young women particularly at risk. The risk for new infections was strongly shaped by social transitions such as leaving school, entrance into marriage, and marital dissolution; the impact of marriage was different for young men than women.

Do the Kids Think They're Okay? Adolescents' Views on the Impact of Marriage and Divorce

A sample (N = 365) of middle school and high school students from both divorced and intact families were surveyed with regard to their opinions about the impact of their parents' relationships (divorced or married) on a variety of areas of their lives. Adolescents from separated or divorced (S/D) families tended to rate their parents' relationships and impact on them more negatively than adolescents from living together or married (L/M) families. However, both groups consistently rated their parents in the same direction on a variety of topics. Gender was not a factor in the responses of either group. However, age (middle school vs. high school) was related to significant differences in adolescents' views about parents.

The Impact of Girlfriends on Desistance Processes among Socially Deprived Young Adults

The question of what contributes to desistance from delinquency is one important topic of criminological sociology. While the impact of marriage has received much attention in recent years, the meaning of girlfriends in young adulthood has been largely neglected. This paper addresses changes in the perception and treatment of girlfriends in this period of transition, as well as their own contributions to the desister’s development. The role of agency is examined, as is the interplay of certain micro- and macro-level aspects. Nineteen qualitative, retrospective interviews with young adults and twenty-seven with field experts were analysed, as outtakes from a larger German study. The data illustrates different patterns of desisting from delinquency that are supported by and related to girlfriends in different ways. The findings appear to add to the current state of the art in desistance research.

Shifting Perspectives: Cognitive Changes Mediate the Impact of Romantic Relationships on Desistance from Crime

Although research regarding the impact of marriage on desistance is important, most romantic relationships during early adulthood, the period in the life course when involvement in criminal offending is relatively high, do not involve marriage. Using the internal moderator approach, we tested hypotheses regarding the impact of non-marital romantic relationships on desistance using longitudinal data from a sample of approximately 600 African American young adults. The results largely supported the study hypotheses. We found no significant association between simply being in a romantic relationship and desistance from offending. On the other hand, for both males and females quality of romantic relationship was rather strongly associated with desistance. Partner antisociality only influenced the offending of females. Much of the effect of quality of romantic relationship on desistance was mediated by a reduction in commitment to a criminogenic knowledge structure (a hostile view of people and relationships, concern with immediate gratification, and cynical view of conduct norms). The mediating effect of change in affiliation with deviant peers was not significant once the contribution of criminogenic knowledge structure was taken into account. The findings are discussed in terms of social control and cognitive accounts of the mechanisms whereby romantic relationships influence desistance.

Marriage, Divorce, and Interstate Risk Sharing*

AbstractIn this paper, we study the importance of marriage for interstate risk sharing in the US. We find that US federal states in which married couples account for a higher share of the population are less exposed to state‐specific output shocks. Thus, in addition to improving the allocation of risk at the individual level, marriage also has implications for risk sharing at the more aggregated state level. Quantitatively, the impact of marriage on interstate risk sharing varies over divorce regimes.

Ethnic and Marital Differences in Family Structure, Risk Behaviors, and Service Requests Among Young Minority Fathers

The purpose of this study was to examine ethnic and marital status differences in family structure, risk behaviors and service requests among African American and Hispanic adolescent fathers participating in a community-based fatherhood program. Demographic factors, risk behaviors, and service requests were gathered at program entry. The results indicated that each group demonstrated distinct patterns associated with family structure, sexual risk behaviors, substance use, and criminal behavior. In comparison to African American fathers, Hispanic fathers were younger and were more likely to be married and present at the delivery of their child. African American fathers reported having more children than Hispanic fathers. Disparities in school-related measures were also found, with African American fathers having higher high school graduation rates than Hispanic fathers. The impact of marriage on risk behaviors had mixed results. Services requests were similar for both groups. The finding that different ethnic groups have specific patterns of risk behaviors highlights the importance of considering the ethnic composition of a population when developing future research and interventions.

The impact of marriage on bladder cancer mortality

Marital status has been found to influence survival in a number of malignancies. We examined data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) cancer survival database to see if married patients with bladder cancer had a survival advantage vs. nonmarried patients. The SEER database contains data on 127,015 patients diagnosed with bladder cancer between 1973 and 2002. Using multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analyses, we examined the impact of marital status (single, married, separated, divorced, or widowed) on survival after diagnosis with bladder cancer. Age, race, AJCC stage, radiation and chemotherapy, and cystectomy were other variables analyzed. Marital status did not appear to have a significant survival effect for women. However, men who were widowed had a risk of death of 1.74 relative to married men (95% CI 1.15, 2.26, P = 0.008). For widowed men over 70, this effect was even more pronounced, with a risk of death of 2.1 (95% CI 1.33, 3.31, P = 0.001). While we did not see any definite survival advantage to being married vs. not being married for patients who are diagnosed with bladder cancer, there is a significant risk to widowed men, particularly older widowed men. This risk is independent of age, race, stage, and may reflect the patient's willingness to seek medical treatment in addition to psychoneuroimmune factors.

Marriage, Divorce and Interstate Risk Sharing

In this paper we study the importance of marriage for interstate risk sharing. We find that US states in which married couples account for a higher share of the population are less exposed to state-specific output shocks. Thus, marriages do not just improve the allocation of risk at the individual level, but also have implications for the allocation of risk at the more aggregated state-level. Quantitatively, the impact of marriage on interstate risk sharing varies over divorce regimes.

Impact of Marriage and Friends on Traumatic Brain Injury Return-to-work Behavior

Faul, Mark D. PhD; Whiteneck, Gale G. PhD; Coronado, Victor G. MD, MPH; Selassie, Anbesaw W. DrPH Author Information

The Changing Impact of Marriage, Motherhood and Work on Women's Poverty

SUMMARY This study evaluates historical changes in the relative importance of key factors influencing white, African American, and Hispanic women's poverty. Empirical results, based on reduced form logistic regressions, indicate that work has become, relative to marriage, a potentially better way to decrease women's poverty. The greater relative importance of work when compared to marriage is strongest for blacks and weakest for whites, although for all three groups of women this pattern holds. This trend is consistent with the move from women's main economic support being generated through marriage to instead being generated through work. At the same time, children continue to increase women's chances of being in poverty, though their impact has changed differently among the three groups. The findings suggest that resources directed towards alleviating poverty should ideally be allocated towards efforts to create good job opportunities combined with support to reduce the costs associated with balancing market and family responsibilities.

Geographic, demographic and inbreeding patterns in a Basque mountainous region of Guipuzcoa

The Goierri a mountain region within the Basque Hills of Guiptlzcoa includes one of the most culturally controlled autochthonous populations within the Basque area mainly from linguistic point of view. The effects of geography and demographic changes (1862-1995) on consanguinity variables over its 21 Municipalities have been investigated. Rates of consanguineous marriages and mean inbreeding levels recorded in some of the southern villages can be considered high but average values for the entire region were lowered due to the early industrialization of the province. In spite of that consanguinity in the study area has been for a long time a prevailing and conspicuous phenomenon when compared to the other Guiptizcoa regions. The impact of marriages between first cousins from immigrant groups on the regional inbreeding levels represents an interesting result as well. Geographic and demographic factors seem to be related both to the extent of marriages as well as to the number of potential mates within populations which in turn are associated with mean inbreeding levels. Altitude seems to show weak relationship with population distribution and population consanguinity variables. Nevertheless levels of endogamy appear positively correlated with consanguinity rates and mean inbreeding coefficient and inversely related -but not statistically significant- to mean village sizes. First cousin marriages yield the highest levels of exogamy and exogamous M22 marriages were mostly concentrated within short (1-10 km) and long-range marital distances (>50 km). The average values of Goierri have been compared with a consanguinity data set of some selected Spanish mountain populations taken from the literature. One of the main results is that geographic and demographic variables are poorly correlated with the most important inbreeding parameters. However different clusters of populations can be observed with specific characteristics for each of them not highly correlated with geography. (authors)

The Linkage Between Work and Family: Female’s Employment Patterns in Three Chinese Societies

This paper examines female’s employment patterns across three consecutive family life stages with an attempt to ascertain the possible impact of marriage and childbirth on female’s employment behaviors. Comparable data sets of Taiwan, Tianjin, and Shanghai are used to compare female’s family and work situations. It is assumed that while cultural homogeneity leads to similar changes in the family system, different political and economic development may produce different outcomes on female’s employment patterns. The analysis focuses on how marriage and childbirth as most critical family life stages affect female’s employment. The result shows that despite the difference between the continuous employment pattern of Mainland Chinese females and the 40% withdrawal after marriage and childbirth of Taiwanese females, all females act according to the external demands of the macro and the micro social structure in her employment patterns. Cohort variations clearly indicate that females respond to the emergence of new employment opportunity, especially in Taiwan and Tianjin. The shift from formal to informal employment at various family stages plays an important adjusting function for females facing the challenge from the incompatibility of work and family roles. Consistent with the course of economic development in Taiwan and the economic reform in Mainland China, females tend to adopt flexible strategy to fulfill their economic contribution by participating in either the formal or the informal work sector.

Avenues and Barriers to Residential Mobility among Single Mothers

ScOTt J. SouTH State University of New York at Albany KYLE D. CROWDER Western Washington University* Longitudinal data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics are combined with local census data to examine single mothers' patterns and determinants of residential mobility between poor and nonpoor neighborhoods in the United States. Moving from a poor to a nonpoor neighborhood is facilitated by marrying and by obtaining employment and is impeded by age and home ownership. Even net of numerous controls, African American single mothers are substantially less likely to escape poor neighborhoods and significantly more likely to move into them than their non-Black counterparts. Neither receipt of Aid to Families with Dependent Children nor adult coresidence significantly reduces the likelihood that single mothers will move from a poor to a nonpoor neighborhood. Key Words: marriage, migration, moving, neighborhoods, single mothers. Prior research shows that, relative to two-parent families, families headed by unmarried mothers are spatially concentrated in high-poverty neighborhoods (McLanahan & Garfinkel, 1989) and that residence in these economically disadvantaged areas has adverse consequences for unwed mothers and their children (Brooks-Gunn, Duncan, Klebanov, & Sealand, 1993; Crane,1991; Duncan, 1994; Elliott et al., 1996; Hogan & Kitagawa, 1985; Klebanov, Brooks-Gunn, & Duncan, 1994; Massey & Shibuya, 1995; McLanahan & Booth, 1989; Wilson, 1996). Research also suggests that low-income, female-headed families who move from inner-city, underclass neighborhoods to more prosperous suburban communities improve their socioeconomic standing and social integration (Katz, Kling, & Liebman, 1997; Rosenbaum & Popkin, 1991; Rosenbaum, Popkin, Kaufman, & Rusin, 1991). Yet, we know little about the characteristics of mother-only families that facilitate or constrain residential mobility from poor neighborhoods to more prosperous areas or that enhance or retard the risk of moving from wealthier to poorer neighborhoods. Single mothers and their children move more frequently than two-parent families (Long, 1992; McLanahan, 1983), especially in the years immediately following a divorce (Speare & Goldscheider, 1987), but little is known about the socioeconomic characteristics of the neighborhoods that mobile, mother-only families vacate or enter. And, although patterns of residential mobility between poor and nonpoor neighborhoods have been described for the general population (Massey, Gross, & Shibuya, 1994; Nelson & Edwards, 1993; South & Crowder, 1997), motheronly families are likely to face a unique constellation of avenues and barriers to residential mobility and thus are worthy of special examination (Mulroy, 1995). We examine the patterns and determinants of residential mobility among unmarried mothers. We merge individual-level data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) with census data describing the poverty status of single mothers' neighborhoods to identify the characteristics of families and their contexts that enhance or diminish opportunities to leave economically disadvantaged neighborhoods for better environments. We also explore the influence of individual and familial factors on the likelihood that single mothers initially residing in nonpoor neighborhoods will move to poor areas. Particular attention is focused on the relative impact of marriage, human capital endowments, welfare receipt, and household structure as avenues or barriers to escaping-or averting moving to-poor neighborhoods. THEORY AND HYPOTHESES Beginning with Rossi's (1955) pioneering analysis, conventional models of residential mobility emphasize life-cycle and demographic factors as key determinants of the decision to move. Age, marital status, and the presence of children all have been shown to play important roles in mobility (Long, 1988). For single mothers, marriage is likely to be a particularly salient event. …