Born Without a Silver Spoon: Wealth and Unintended Childbearing

• In Event: 416 - Section on the Sociology of the Family. Race, Ethnicity, Social Class, and Families

Abstract

Theoretical and empirical research suggests that wealth is a critical precursor to marriage, but not childbearing. Although wealth may be unrelated to fertility in general, it is unclear whether it is related to unintended childbearing specifically. Unintended births are more common among relatively disadvantaged groups, such as people of color, unmarried adults, and those with low levels of education, and it is possible that wealth accounts for these patterns. In this paper, we examine the linkages between wealth and unintended first births, drawing on data from the NLSY79. Results suggest that wealth is negatively related to the probability of having an unintended first birth, even after controlling for a host of sociodemographic characteristics such as race, marital status, education, and income. Although wealth does not account for racial and marital status disparities in unintended birth, our results suggest that it is a significant and heretofore overlooked correlate of unintended childbearing.

Authors

• Jessica Houston Su, University at Buffalo, SUNY

• Fenaba Addo, University of Wisconsin-Madison