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Household Headship Among Unmarried Mothers in Six Latin American Countries

Household Headship Among Unmarried Mothers in Six Latin American Countries Household Headship Among Unmarried Mothers in Six Latin American Countries* SUSAN DE VOS and KERRY RICHTER University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, U. S.A. ABSTRACT This paper describes and explores the relationship of several life-course and development- related factors with household headship among unmarried women 15-49 years of age with a child under the age of 15 in six Latin American countries: Mexico, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Panama, Colombia, and Peru. We argue that, in contrast to the apparent situation in the U.S., a majority of unmarried women in these countries live as subfamilies in someone else's household. Life-course factors were important determinants of household headship. Urban residence and migration status were also significant determinants. In contrast to speculations however, socioeconomic status, as indicated by educational attainment, was not related to headship, either bivariately or once life-course factors were controlled. We conclude that life-course and residence/migration factors need to be accounted for, even if an analyst's focus is mainly economic. Introduction THIS PAPER EXAMINES SOME of the reasons why unmarried women with children may head their own households in six Latin-American countries instead of joining an extended family household. Researchers in both the developed and the less-developed world http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png International Journal of Comparative Sociology (in 2002 continued as Comparative Sociology) Brill

Household Headship Among Unmarried Mothers in Six Latin American Countries

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References (23)

Publisher
Brill
Copyright
© 1988 Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands
ISSN
0020-7152
eISSN
1745-2554
DOI
10.1163/156854288X00300
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Household Headship Among Unmarried Mothers in Six Latin American Countries* SUSAN DE VOS and KERRY RICHTER University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, U. S.A. ABSTRACT This paper describes and explores the relationship of several life-course and development- related factors with household headship among unmarried women 15-49 years of age with a child under the age of 15 in six Latin American countries: Mexico, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Panama, Colombia, and Peru. We argue that, in contrast to the apparent situation in the U.S., a majority of unmarried women in these countries live as subfamilies in someone else's household. Life-course factors were important determinants of household headship. Urban residence and migration status were also significant determinants. In contrast to speculations however, socioeconomic status, as indicated by educational attainment, was not related to headship, either bivariately or once life-course factors were controlled. We conclude that life-course and residence/migration factors need to be accounted for, even if an analyst's focus is mainly economic. Introduction THIS PAPER EXAMINES SOME of the reasons why unmarried women with children may head their own households in six Latin-American countries instead of joining an extended family household. Researchers in both the developed and the less-developed world

Journal

International Journal of Comparative Sociology (in 2002 continued as Comparative Sociology)Brill

Published: Jan 1, 1988

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