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Nola du Toit Kate Bachtell Cathy Haggerty

Coming and Going:  The Effect of Household Composition on the Economic Wellbeing of Families and Children. Nola du Toit Kate Bachtell Cathy Haggerty. Current Literature. Household structure and wellbeing of children Economic measures (poverty, material hardship)

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Nola du Toit Kate Bachtell Cathy Haggerty

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  1. Coming and Going:  The Effect of Household Composition on the Economic Wellbeing of Families and Children Nola du Toit Kate Bachtell Cathy Haggerty

  2. Current Literature • Household structure and wellbeing of children • Economic measures (poverty, material hardship) • Family structure matters for child wellbeing • Single v. cohabiting v. married • Instability matters for child wellbeing • Union formation or dissolution • Focus on parents • Anyone missing?

  3. Example: Erin

  4. Research Questions • Are there different types of household composition beyond the traditional? • Do complex household compositions matter? • Is there change in these complex household compositions over time? • Does this change matter? • Are some households more affected by change than others?

  5. Data • Making Connections survey • Annie E. Casey Foundation • Community initiatives • 10 sites • Low income households • Longitudinal • Baseline 2002-2004 • Wave 2 2005-2007 • Wave 3 2008-2011

  6. Data • Information on variety of topics • People in household, age, gender, employment • Relationships to one another • Children • Economic wellbeing • Roster matching across waves • People coming and going in households • Waves 2 and 3 for 6 sites • Focus on households with children at Wave 2 (n=1964)‏

  7. Focus Variable:Household Type • Relationship of adult (18+) to focus child + number of adults • Single parents • Two parents • Parent/grandparent only • Parent/any combination • Non-parent households

  8. Dependent Variables:EconomicMeasures • Income Per Capita • Household income/number of people in household (log)‏ • Public Assistance Usage (none/any)‏ • Food stamps, rent subsidies, section 8, public housing • Economic hardship (none/any)‏ • No money for food, not pay rent, phone cut off, not fill prescriptions • Home Ownership (not own/own)‏ • Owned by someone in household

  9. Dependent Variables:Instability • Change in household type • e.g. Two parent -> parent/grandparent only • Decrease in income per capita • Same or less than at Wave 2 • Increase in public assistance usage • Increase in economic hardship • Decrease in home ownership

  10. Controls • Income per capita • Public assistance • Average age of adults • All female household • Race (proxy)‏ • Hispanic • At least one employed adult

  11. Findings • Are there different types of household composition beyond the traditional? • Do complex household compositions matter? • Is there change in these complex household compositions over time? • Does this change matter? • Are some households more affected by change than others?

  12. Findings • Are there different types of household composition beyond the traditional? YES! • Do complex household compositions matter? YES! • Is there change in these complex household compositions over time? YES! • Does this change matter? YES! • Are some households more affected by change than others? YES!

  13. In “Header and Footer”, Insert Presentation Title and Any Confidentiality Information TYPES OF RELATIONSHIP OF ADULTS TO CHILDREN UNWEIGHTED N WEIGHTED % Total 1964 100% Husband/wife 1 <1% Parent 1800 90% Extended family 194 12% Sibling 212 12% Grandparent 333 22% Non-related 119 6% Are there types of composition beyond the traditional?

  14. Are there types of composition beyond the traditional?

  15. Do complex households matter? Economic Measures

  16. Is there change over time in complex households?

  17. Does change matter? Decrease in income per capita

  18. Findings • Many more types of households than accounted for in current research • Many people coming and going • Mixed results – no pattern • 10% are non-parent households • Introduction of another adult for single parent households is not a good idea • Need more research on non-traditional households

  19. Limitations • Data not representative of nation's poor • No higher income cases • Missing a lot of variation within groups • Expand control groups • Interaction effects

  20. Conclusions • Look at big picture, not just parents • Need more research

  21. Nola du Toit: dutoit-nola@norc.org Kate Bachtell: bachtell-kate@norc.org Cathy Haggerty: haggerty-cathy@norc.org Insert Presentation Title and Any Confidentiality Information

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