Low-income Women and Marriage Entry: Evidence for Qualitative Data

描述（由申请人提供）：本研究的重点是低收入单身母亲之间的联盟形成。我们的具体研究问题是：1)低收入单亲母亲如何决定组建工会，主要考虑哪些因素？来自现在和以前的工会的孩子在这些决定中扮演什么角色？2)“新”家庭在转变为婚姻和同居后是什么样子？这些“新”家庭类型对家庭动态（例如，家庭暴力、养育子女和继育子女）、经济和物质资源（例如，物质困难）以及儿童福祉（例如，行为问题）有什么影响？特别注意多伴侣生育（即与一个以上的伴侣生育子女）所造成的复杂家庭安排对建立婚姻决定及其后果的影响。低收入人群中的大多数婚姻转换涉及现有的孩子——共同的孩子，她的孩子，他的孩子，以及三者的混合。这种家庭复杂性的含义需要调查。为了调查这些问题，我们采用嵌套设计，使用妇女就业研究（WES）的面板调查数据和从WES受访者的子样本收集的定性数据。对WES定性数据的分析是这一应用的基础。反过来，定性研究结果有望为假设的发展提供信息，这些假设可以使用面板数据进行测试。从科学上讲，本研究将形成关于工会形成及其对低收入个体影响的新假设和概念模型。在方法上，本研究可以通过确定低收入样本中婚姻和同居的纳入概念，为未来的调查数据收集提供信息，并为这些概念的测量提供指导。这项研究的结果也将为婚姻促进计划和政策的设计和实施提供信息。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This research focuses on union formation among low-income single mothers. Our specific research questions are: 1) How do low-income single-mothers make decisions about union formation and what are the main factors considered? What role do children from current and former unions play in these decisions? and 2) What do "new" families look like after transitions into marital and cohabiting unions? What implications do these "new" family types have for family dynamics (e.g., domestic violence, parenting and step-parenting), economic and material resources (e.g., material hardship), and child well-being (e.g., behavior problems)? Particular attention is given to the implications of complex family arrangements resulting from multiple partner fertility (i.e., having children with more than one partner) for union formation decisions and its consequences. Most union transitions among low-income individuals involve existing children-joint children, her children, his children, and a mix of all three. The implications of this family complexity need investigation. To investigate these questions, we rely on a nested design using panel survey data from the Women's Employment Study (WES) and qualitative data gathered from a sub-sample of WES respondents. Analyses of the WES qualitative data serve as the basis for this application. In turn, qualitative findings are expected to inform hypotheses development that can be tested using the panel data. Scientifically, this research will result in the formulation of new hypotheses and conceptual models on union formation and its consequences for low income individuals. Methodologically, this research can inform future survey data collections by identifying concepts for inclusion when studying marriage and cohabitation among low-income samples and provide guidance in the measurement of these concepts. Results from this research will also inform the design and implementation of marriage promotion programs and policies.