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Author: Georges, Annie
Resulting in 2 citations.
1. Georges, Annie
Racial and Ethnic Differences of the Effect of the GED Test on Entry into and Exit Out of Poverty Among Women
Ph.D. Dissertation, The Pennsylvania State University, 1998.
Also: http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/ER/detail/hkul/2687946
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: UMI - University Microfilms, Bell and Howell Information and Learning
Keyword(s): First Birth; GED/General Educational Diploma/General Equivalency Degree/General Educational Development; Gender Differences; High School Diploma; Hispanics; Mothers, Adolescent; Poverty; Racial Differences; Teenagers; Women's Studies

The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) policy requires women and teenage mothers to earn a high school diploma or pass the general educational development (GED) test in exchange for temporary benefits. This basic requirement is in place to assist these women in finding employment that will reduce poverty. The objective of this thesis is to assess the effect of the GED test on entry into and exit out of poverty among women. It also evaluates the effects of employment and teen childbearing. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY), this study finds that women who pass the GED test have a higher probability of entry into and a lower probability of exit out of poverty than high school graduates. However, investing in the GED test offers some benefits because relative to high school dropouts GED holders have a lower probability of entry into and a higher probability of exit out of poverty. Moreover, GED holders who continue on to college are equivalent to those with only a high school diploma. Although education matters for all women, blacks and Hispanics have a higher probability of entry into and a lower probability of exit out of poverty than whites. This suggests lower returns to education may be due to discrimination and occupational segregation that restrict blacks' and Hispanics' access to high-paying jobs. The analysis shows that it is the presence of additional children that significantly affects poverty, and not so much the timing of the first birth. It suggests that teenage mothers who have few subsequent births have the same probability of entry into and exit out of poverty as women who postpone birth. That is, as labor force participation is limited due to the presence of additional children the family's available resources are reduced while at the same time their needs are increasing. These factors combined increase the probability of poverty.
Bibliography Citation
Georges, Annie. Racial and Ethnic Differences of the Effect of the GED Test on Entry into and Exit Out of Poverty Among Women. Ph.D. Dissertation, The Pennsylvania State University, 1998..
2. Georges, Annie
The GED Certificate and the Poverty Status of Adult Women
Journal of Children and Poverty 7,1 (March 2001): 49-61.
Also: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10796120120038037
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: Carfax Publishing Company ==> Taylor & Francis
Keyword(s): GED/General Educational Diploma/General Equivalency Degree/General Educational Development; High School Completion/Graduates; High School Dropouts; Poverty; Women; Women's Education

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

Are women who hold a General Educational Development (GED) certificate less likely to ever be in poverty? Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, this study examines the probability of entering poverty for women. If a woman is already poor, the study also examines the probability of exiting poverty. The analysis differentiates between high school dropouts, GED certificate holders, & high school graduates, & it is restricted to the first entry into poverty & the first exit out of poverty. In general, the results show that the GED certificate may be an economically beneficial route for women to achieve short-term earnings growth & remain out of poverty, as compared to dropping out of high school. The analysis shows that women with a GED certificate have a significantly higher probability of entry into poverty than high school graduates. However, a GED certificate increases the probability that a woman will exit poverty, compared to high school dropouts. This finding differs from other studies about the economic impact of the GED certificate. 2 Tables, 29 References. Adapted from the source document
Bibliography Citation
Georges, Annie. "The GED Certificate and the Poverty Status of Adult Women." Journal of Children and Poverty 7,1 (March 2001): 49-61.