JOURNAL OF MARRIAGE AND THE FAMILY

United States of America (Minneapolis) 93

MAY 1998 - VOLUME 60, NUMBER 2

99.93.1 - English - Gary R. LEE , Department of Sociology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH 43403 (U.S.A.), Chuck W. PEEK, Claude Pepper Center for Research on Aging, College of Dentistry, P.O. Box 100416, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 (U.S.A.), and Raymond T. COWARD, School of Health and Human Services, 217 Hewitt Hall, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824 (U.S.A.)

E-mail: grlee@bgnet.bgsu.edu

Race differences in filial responsibility expectations among older parents (p. 404-412)

This study examines race differences in the extent to which older parents believe that parents are entitled to support from their children. Bivariate analyses show that Blacks have higher filial responsibility expectations than do Whites, and the difference is only marginally attenuated by controls for sociodemographic and other factors. The results provide tentative evidence of a cultural difference between Blacks and Whites, which is consistent with differences in observed levels of support from children and other descendants. In addition, neither higher expectations for assistance from children nor higher levels of actual assistance appear to deter parents in need from utilizing formal service providers. (UNITED STATES, AGED, CHILDREN, INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS, RACES)

99.93.2 - English - Kurt LUESCHER, Department of Sociology, University of Konstanz, D-78434, Konstanz (Allemagne), and Karl PILLEMER, Department of Human Development, Martha Van Rennselaer Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 (U.S.A.)

E-mail: kap6@cornell.edu

Intergenerational ambivalence: A new approach to the study of parent-child relations in later life (p. 413-425)

Social scientific interest in intergenerational relationships between adults has increased in recent years. However, there is a lack of theoretical work that allows for the integration of research findings. Further, there has been a tendency to interpret intergenerational relationships within limited frameworks that emphasize either intergenerational solidarity or conflict. ln contrast, we propose that ambivalence is a more useful organizing concept for understanding intergenerational relations. In this article, we argue that relationships between the generations in families are structured such that they generate various types of ambivalence. We then discuss three aspects of intergenerational relationships that are likely to be ambivalent and propose an agenda for future research. (GENERATIONGENERATIONS, INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS, THEORY)

99.93.3 - English - Yean-Ju LEE, Department of Sociology, 2424 Maile Way, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI 96822 (U.S.A.), and Isik A. AYTAC, Population Studies Center, 1155 East 60th Street, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637 (U.S.A.)

E-mail: yjlee@hawaii.edu

Intergenerational financial support among Whites, African Americans, and Latinos (p. 426-441)

Recent empirical research has found that interhousehold exchanges of goods and services are more frequent among Whites than among African Americans or Latinos. This study explores racial and ethnic differences in kin support and focuses on financial support that adult children receive from their parents. We decompose the observed group differences in the incidence of adult children's receiving assistance into those explained by behavioral patterns and those explained by resources. Contrary to earlier observations that financial support among poor, minority families is mostly to ease short-term crises, our results suggest that minority parents may be more concerned than White parents with the long-term effects of financial support for their children. When providing financial support, African American and Latino parents, more than White parents, favor adult children who acquire greater human capital resources (education and income). (UNITED STATES, ETHNIC MINORITIES, GENERATIONS, INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS)

99.93.4 - English - Daniel R. MEYER and Maria CANCIAN, School of Social Work, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706 (U.S.A.)

E-mail: dmeyer@ssc.wisc.edu

Economic well-being following an exit from Aid to Families with Dependent Children (p. 479-492)

Much previous research has focused on how long families receive Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) before leaving the program and whether and when they return to the program following an exit. Few quantitative studies have looked at broader indicators of the economic well-being of those who have exited AFDC. We use data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth to trace poverty status and welfare use in the 5 years following an exit from AFDC. We find substantial diversity in economic well-being. Women who were working when they exited from AFDC do better, and, to a lesser extent, so do those who were married or had a partner when they exited. Higher levels of success are achieved by women with higher earning potential, including those with higher education and those with fewer children or older children. Although some women achieve modest levels of economic success, 41% remain poor even 5 years after an exit from AFDC. Our results highlight the distinction between leaving welfare and leaving poverty and suggest that welfare reforms targeted at reducing caseloads may do relatively little to enhance broader measures of economic success. (UNITED STATES, POVERTY)

99.93.5 - English - Karin L. BREWSTER, Center for the Study of Population, 654 Bellamy Building, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306 (U.S.A.), Elizabeth C. COOKSEY, Department of Sociology, 300 Bricker Hall, 190 N. Oval Mall, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210 (U.S.A.), David K. GUILKEY and Ronald R. RINDFUSS, Carolina Population Center, CB# 8120 University Square, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27516 (U.S.A.)

E-mail: cooksey.1@osu.edu

The changing impact of religion on the sexual and contraceptive behavior of adolescent women in the United States (p. 493-504)

This study addresses the impact of religious affiliation on intercourse risk and contraceptive use among adolescent women during the 1980s when church-based groups were increasingly involved in debates over reproductive and family issues. However, adolescent nonmarital intercourse and birth rates were rising, suggesting that religious organizations, even as their visibility increased, became less effective at transmitting their values. We pooled data from two national surveys conducted in 1982 and 1988 and found that affiliation has modest, but stable, effects among Black teens. Among Whites, the impact of a fundamentalist Protestant affiliation increased. White fundamentalists were less likely to be sexually active in 1988 than in 1982. (UNITED STATES, ADOLESCENCE, RELIGION, SEXUAL BEHAVIOUR, CONTRACEPTIVE USAGE)

99.93.6 - English - Steven STACK and J. ROSS ESHLEMAN, Department of Sociology, Wayne State University, 2305 Faculty/Administration Building, Detroit, MI 48202 (U.S.A.)

E-mail: aa1051@wayne.edu

Marital status and happiness: A 17-nation study (p. 527-536)

The literature on marital status and happiness has neglected comparative analysis, cohabitation, and gender-specific analysis. It is not clear if the married-happiness relationship is consistent across nations, if it is stronger than a cohabitation-happiness link, and if it applies to both genders. We address these issues using data from 17 national surveys. A multiple regression analysis determined that the relationship between marital status and happiness holds in 16 of the 17 nations and the strength of the association does not vary significantly in 14 of the 17 nations. Being married was 3.4 times more closely tied to the variance in happiness than was cohabitation, and marriage increases happiness equally among men and women. Marriage may affect happiness through two intervening processes: the promotion of financial satisfaction and the improvement of health. These intervening processes did not replicate for cohabitants. (SATISFACTION, MARRIAGE, MARITAL STATUS, COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS)

AUGUST 1998 - VOLUME 60, NUMBER 3

99.93.7 - English - Catherine H. STEIN, Department of Psychology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH 43403 (U.S.A.), Virginia A. WEMMERUS, 294 East Kelso, Columbus, OH 43202 (U.S.A.), Marcia WARD, Michelle E. GAINES, Andrew L. FREEBERG and Thomas C. JEWELL, Department of Psychology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH 43403 (U.S.A.)

E-mail: cstein@trapper.bgsu.edu

"Because they're my parents": An intergenerational study of felt obligation and parental caregiving (p. 611-622)

Using an intergenerational sample of 460 young adults and their middle-aged parents, the study examined adults' views of parental obligation and caregiving. Both generations of women generally reported higher levels of felt obligation to their parents than did both generations of men. Regardless of gender, adults with one living parent generally reported feeling more obligation to provide assistance than did adults with two living parents. Overall, young adult children expressed higher levels of felt obligation to their parents than did middle-aged parents to their parents. Felt obligation accounted for a significant amount of additional variance in young and middle-aged adults' reports of parental caregiving beyond that of gender, self-reports of parental affection, and filial responsibility. (SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, PARENTS, CHILDREN, INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS)

99.93.8 - English - Frances K. GOLDSCHEIDER, Department of Sociology, Maxcy Hall, Box 1916, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912 (U.S.A.), and Leora LAWTON, TechSociety Research, 2342 Shattuck Avenue, Suite 262, Berkeley, CA 94704 (U.S.A.)

E-mail: frances_goldscheider@brown.edu

Family experiences and the erosion of support for intergenerational coresidence (p. 623-632)

We test the affluence interpretation of the decline in intergenerational coresidence, which implicitly affirms that close kin would still offer housing to those in need, by examining the factors that influence attitudes about coresidence with young adult children and aging parents. Using national data, we model the effects of living in a multigenerational household in childhood and living independently from parents prior to marriage on respondents' obligation to allow aging parents and adult children who are in need to coreside. We find strong effects of living arrangements experiences on attitudes that differ by the type of intergenerational coresidence. (PARENTS, CHILDREN, COHABITATION, ATTITUDE)

99.93.9 - English - Daniel F. PERKINS, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, University of Florida, 3041 McCarthy Hall, P.O. Box 110310, Gainesville, FL 32611 (U.S.A.), Tom LUSTER, Francisco A. VILLARUEL, Department of Family and Child Ecology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824 (U.S.A.), and Stephen SMALL, Department of Child and Family Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1430 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706 (U.S.A.)

E-mail: dperkins@ gnv.ifas.ufl.edu

An ecological, risk-factor examination of adolescents' sexual activity in three ethnic groups (p. 660-673)

This study examines the extent to which the ecological, risk-factor approach for studying sexual activity in samples of mostly European Americans is useful for explaining adolescent sexual activity in three ethnic groups. We hypothesized that as exposure to risk factors increased, so would the likelihood of sexual activity in all the ethnic groups. Ethnic and gender differences in the relationship between risk factors and sexual activity were also examined. We found significant risk factors at all three levels of the social ecology. There was little support for the notion that risk factors predicting sexual activity differ among the ethnic groups, although we found a few gender differences. The results of these analyses highlight similarities among the three ethnic groups. (UNITED STATES, ADOLESCENTS, ETHNIC GROUPS, SEXUAL BEHAVIOUR, METHODOLOGY)

99.93.10 - English - Hiromi ONO, University of Michigan, Institute for Social Research, P.O. Box 1248, Ann Arbor, MI 48106-1248 (U.S.A.)

E-mail: ono@nicco.sscnet.ucla.edu

Husbands' and wives' resources and marital dissolution (p. 674-689)

Prominent theories converge in suggesting that a wife's resources are positively related to marital dissolution (i.e., the wife's independence hypothesis), whereas a husband's resources are inversely related to dissolution (i.e., the husband's income hypothesis). Using data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (1968-1985), a discrete-time event history analysis identifies modifications required of both hypotheses. First, wife's earnings have a nonlinear, U-shaped relationship to the risk of marital dissolution. Second, the impact of husband's earnings varies as a function of wife's earnings. In particular, when the wife has no earnings, lower husband's earnings have a disruptive effect on the marriage. By contrast, when the wife has earnings, lower husband's earnings have a nonsignificant impact on marital dissolution. Finally, results fail to support the hypothesis that better economic prospects for a wife, measured by education and time worked, increase the risk of marital dissolution separately from her actual economic standing, measured by her earnings. (DIVORCE, MEN, WOMEN, LEVELS OF EDUCATION, INCOME)

99.93.11 - English - D. Alex HECKERT, Thomas C. NOWAK and Kay A. SNYDER, Department of Sociology, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, 102 McElhaney Hall, Indiana, PA 15705 (U.S.A.)

E-mail: aheckert@grove.iup.edu

The impact of husbands' and wives' relative earnings on marital disruption (p. 690-703)

In the last several decades, a shift has occurred in the relative contributions of married women to household earnings. Yet we know little about the impact of relative earnings of husbands and wives on the likelihood of marital disruption. This study estimates a discrete-time hazard model using data on first married couples from the 1986-1989 waves of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. The relative earnings of husbands and wives are a significant predictor of marital disruption, although the relationship is nonlinear. We suggest this nonlinear effect is linked to the varying economic circumstances of different groups of couples. (UNITED STATES, DIVORCE, MEN, WOMEN, HOUSEHOLD INCOME)

99.93.12 - English - Lynn WHITE, Department of Sociology, 711 Oldfather Hall, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588 (U.S.A.)

E-mail: lwhite3@unlinfo.unl.edu

Who's counting? Quasi-facts and stepfamilies in reports of number of siblings (p. 725-733)

Using panel data on approximately 9,400 individuals aged 19-95 interviewed in the 1987-1988 and 1992-1994 waves of the National Survey of Families and Households, I examine discrepancies in reported sibling number. Fifteen percent of the sample reported fewer siblings in the second wave than in the first wave. Unexpectedly, 16% also reported more siblings. I consider four explanations for these discrepancies: changes in wording of the question, complex family structure, changes in family structure between waves, and low sibling salience. Analysis demonstrates that discrepancies are greatest among, but not limited to, those with complex family histories. Sibling counts appear to have a high subjective component that is sensitive to question wording and family structure but is not strongly related to predictors of sibling closeness. The analysis concludes with suggestions for measuring stepfamily relationships and dealing with discrepant reports in family relationships generally. (UNITED STATES, DATA COLLECTION, SIBLINGS, HALF-BROTHERS, HALF-SISTERS)

99.93.13 - English - Frances K. GOLDSCHEIDER and Calvin GOLDSCHEIDER, Department of Sociology, Maxcy Hall, Box 1916, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912 (U.S.A.)

E-mail: frances_goldscheider@brown.edu

The effect of childhood family structure on leaving and returning home (p. 745-756)

We examine the effects of childhood family structure on leaving and returning home. Using retrospective data from the National Survey of Families and Households, we develop a competing risks, proportional hazards model of linkages among family experiences and the probability of leaving home very early (ages 15-16) and by given routes (schooling, the military, marriage, cohabitation, employment, and independence) and of returning home. We find that growing up in any of a variety of alternative family structures decreases the likelihood of leaving home via college attendance and of returning home but increases the likelihood of leaving early, especially to independence and marriage. (UNITED STATES, HOUSEHOLD COMPOSITION, DEPARTURES, CHILDREN)

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