Doctoral Dissertation Research: Risk and Consequences of Parental AbsenceDoctoral

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SES-1302828Sara MclanahanLauren GaydoshPrinceton University Much of the literature on family structure in American sociology focuses on the effects of father absence as a result of divorce or single motherhood. While prolific and robust, the research has focused on the nuclear family and largely ignored the role of kin and extended family as participants in childrearing. The notable exceptions are primarily ethnographic studies that are unable to quantify the influence of complicated family structures on the population at large. The demographic literature on African families focuses similarly on the negative outcomes associated with non-two parent family structures Rather than focusing on divorce and single motherhood as the primary causes of parental absence as in the US, this literatures focuses overwhelmingly on AIDS orphanhood. The research in both the United States and Africa therefore tends to focus on the negative consequences of particular family structures resulting from specific causes of parental absence. This dissertation project investigates parental absence and considers children's experience with parental absence, how this absence influences children's health and education, and how parents make decisions about their children's living arrangements. The researchers are using longitudinal data from demographic surveillance surveys in Tanzania to provide the first quantification of the risk of parental absence to which children are exposed, to decompose the various sources of this risk, and identify the consequences of parental absence for children's wellbeing. Drawing from original qualitative data, the researchers will study how families negotiate childrearing arrangements in response to the needs of children exposed to parental absence. Broader ImpactsThe findings of this research have implications beyond Tanzania. Recent attempts to institutionalize support for children experiencing parental absence in sub-Saharan Africa have focused on AIDS orphans to the exclusion of children exposed to parental absence for other reasons. This approach ignores the role of familial safety nets in caring for children, and policies have consequently been of limited success. The results are relevant for all countries trying to improve the welfare of children in the face of social changes that challenge traditional family forms. In addition, the importance of kin in Tanzania may demonstrate the taken for granted role of extended family members in child rearing practices in the United States. Finally, the successes and shortcomings of the Tanzanian family can shed light on solutions to the problems faced by American families