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S K Houseknecht

Publications and source records attributed to S K Houseknecht.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1998

Black and white differences in the effect of women's educational attainment on age at first marriage.

"This study uses data from the June 1992 Current Population Survey to examine the effect of educational attainment on age at first marriage among Black and White women in the United States. The results both support and modify claims stemming from previous research. There is evidence for the contention that educational attainment delays age at first marriage for Black and White women. The greater impact of educational attainment on delaying marriage for White women in confirmed. An important discovery stems from using degree attained rather than years of education and our distinguishing four levels of education beyond high school. At less than a bachelor's degree, Black women marry later than White women, but among those with a bachelor's degree or higher, Black women who marry do so earlier than White women."

Black or African American↗
PubMed1982

Voluntary childlessness. Toward a theoretical integration.

Despite the recent proliferation of research on the topic of voluntary childlessness, a substantive theory has yet to be developed. A major objective of this article is to undertake such a theoretical formulation. A focus on social structural variables, that is, female education and employment, has led demographers and others to predict a phenomenal increase in voluntary childlessness. That this macro level theory is incomplete is evidenced by the fact that it cannot account for the decline or leveling off in the voluntary childless rate since 1975, despite continuing increases in women's educational achievements and labor force participation. A missing link in this formulation is the cultural component. An individual decision making model is necessary to show how social structural factors mesh with cultural components in influencing fertility decisions, in this case voluntary childlessness. Unless there is an effort to understand the micro level processes that distort the macro level patterns, a comprehensive understanding of voluntary childlessness cannot be forthcoming.

Behavior↗
PubMed1978

Voluntary childlessness: a social psychological model.

This research compares a nonprobability, precision-matched sample of 27 female undergraduates wishing to remain childless with 27 female undergraduates desiring to have children. The purpose was to test 8 hypotheses in an effort to explain the desire for a childless lifestyle at a relatively early age. A social psychological model is presented that elucidates some of the influential factors. The basic idea of the model is that such a choice can be analyzed in terms of 3 basic concepts: 1) family background factors; 2) self-other attitudes; and 3) reference groups. The data in this study, although collected at only 1 point in time, support the argument that these concepts play a central role in the decision to remain voluntarily childless. The family background factors are seen as instigative in the development of autonomy and achievement orientation. These 2 factors, accompanied by a belief that the advantages associated with childlessness outweigh the advantages associated with childbearing, predispose an individual to desire a childless lifestyle, particularly when these various attitudes are sustained through reference group support.

Attitude↗