Adolescent Parent–Child Relationships and Non-Marital Fertility in Adulthood: Variation by Race and Ethnicity

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Factors leading to racial and ethnic differences in non-marital fertility, which account for nearly 41% of all births in the U.S., are not well understood. This study examines how mother–child relationships and parental control shape the likelihood of having a non-marital birth in adulthood among non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic Asian women from 1994–2009. This paper uses data from Waves I, III, and IV of Add Health (n = 7171) and event-history analysis to find that mother–child relationships are associated with the likelihood of having a non-marital birth, with variation by race and ethnicity. Maternal warmth and communication in adolescence are associated with a decreased likelihood of having a non-marital birth in adulthood, but only among non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic Asian women. Parent–child relationships are dynamic and can have lasting impacts on children’s fertility behaviors across the life course.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number43
JournalGenealogy
Volume7
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 2023

Keywords

  • adolescent sexual/contraceptive behavior
  • intergenerational relations
  • parent–child relationships
  • youth/emergent adulthood

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Genetics
  • Molecular Medicine
  • Genetics(clinical)
  • Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology (miscellaneous)

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