Search Results

Author: Chan, Christopher Go
Resulting in 1 citation.
1. Chan, Christopher Go
Socioeconomics, Culture, and Black-White Differences in Marriage
Ph.D. Dissertation, Harvard University, 1996. DAI-A 57/05, p. 2214, Nov 1996
Cohort(s): Young Women
Publisher: UMI - University Microfilms, Bell and Howell Information and Learning
Keyword(s): Marriage; Racial Differences; Racial Studies; Socioeconomic Factors

This study draws on past research to formulate a socioeconomic and a cultural perspective on the race gap in marriage. I argue that black women are less likely to marry because they face poor marital prospects and because they are more likely to possess long-term work plans. Marriage market quality provides the theory with a socioeconomic flavor since this concept links marriage timing to the economic position of men. On the other hand, work plans are socioeconomic because they reflect job aspirations and cultural because they are stable and persistent. I test this theory using data from the 1968-1991 National Longitudinal Surveys of Young Women. The analyses can be broadly divided into three sections. The first section examines race differences in marriage markets by ascertaining why there is a shortage of black men who can support and maintain a family. The second section then examines work plans--I evaluate the cultural underpinnings of work plans by analyzing the formation of initial work plans, the acquisition and abandonment of work plans, and the role of maternal socialization in generating these changes in work plans. Finally, the third section evaluates the effects of marriage markets and work plans on marriage. I use event-history models to examine the transition to marriage for black and white women and examine whether indicators of marriage market quality and long-term work plans can explain away race differences. There is considerable empirical support for the proposed theory. Accounting for marriage market quality and work plans reduces the race gap in marriage, although the efficacy of work plans depends on the measure used--a time varying-measure of work plans is more effective in explaining away the race gap than a measure of initial work plans. There is also preliminary evidence that a marriage market regulates the timing of marriage and that the negative effects of work plans reflect the difficulties of combining work and family responsibilities. Also, the analysis suggest that work plans are a reflection of an underlying work-oriented culture that is created through exposure to female role models.
Bibliography Citation
Chan, Christopher Go. Socioeconomics, Culture, and Black-White Differences in Marriage. Ph.D. Dissertation, Harvard University, 1996. DAI-A 57/05, p. 2214, Nov 1996.