Multiple Family Disadvantages and the Race-Gender Gap in Educational Attainment

• In Event: 264 - Section on the Sociology of the Family Paper Session. Demography of Families and Gender

Abstract

Due to systemic racial inequalities, African American children are disproportionately likely to experience multiple family disadvantages that impede educational attainment and life chances. The female-favorable gender gap in educational attainment is largest among African Americans. Current literature does not sufficiently help us to understand heterogeneity in educational attainment related to race, gender, and family sociodemographic background. Taking an ecological approach, this paper uses the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health to investigate how multiple family disadvantages in early to middle adolescence individually and cumulatively relate to the educational attainment of black males compared with black females and white youth. I find that high levels of family disadvantage reduce the likelihood of entering college to a much greater extent among black males than among black females and white youth. This study improves our understanding of how multiple family disadvantages in adolescence hamper children’s educational attainment and the importance of considering intersectionality of status groups.

Author

• Cheryl A. Roberts, Duke University