Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: This study uses data from the National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS) to investigate the effects of teen parents’ gender and social and financial resources at age 18 on their educational attainment at age 26. A resource-based perspective is proposed to account for differences in education. Results from regression analyses show that material resources significantly predict teen parents' future educational attainment. Gender greatly affects the division of labor among teen fathers and mothers between child care and paid work. Teenage parents in traditional gender roles in terms of child care and paid work suffer the most in their future education. The results provide support for the resource-based approach and call into question the gender-segregated study designs that are prevalent in the literature. I discuss policy implications of the findings and make suggestions for future research.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Women, especially teenage adolescents, are often accused of, and accuse themselves of, being catty, petty, backbiting, and guilty of trying to steal each others’ boyfriends. Such behavior is illustrated from an extensive base of qualitative data. An explanation for such behavior is rooted in the nature of the peer status systems typical of secondary schools and the way these interact with race, class, and gender to the disadvantage of women.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: In this paper we examine factors that influence the household self-sufficiency over time, of one particularly vulnerable group – a cohort of approximately two hundred women who assumed the adult role and responsibilities of parenting while they themselves were still in their teens. Binary Growth Models are applied to Life History Calendar data that provide an effective strategy for analyzing detailed month to month household data that span nearly twelve years following the birth of the study child. Our analysis suggests the overwhelming effects of the presence of a husband or partner in the household in these early years, with the greater advantage associated with married relationships. In contrast, the educational attainments or employment status of the women themselves provide only a relatively small increase in the likelihood of self-sufficiency. The insights provided by our study mothers in a series of unstructured interviews suggest caution in the interpreting these results. They describe a selection process that favors economically secure (and hence “marriageable”) males. A growing awareness of the unintended consequences to women and their children of encouraging dependence on potentially abusive partner suggests further caution in interpreting these results.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Research established that the digital divide inhibits economic growth (Colescchia & Schreyer, 2002; Jorgenson, 2003) and prevents a large portion of the population from keeping pace with the social advantages of technological progress. One way of narrowing the digital gap is to equip and train those who play an important role in the lives of teenagers, thus setting a 'digital literacy agenda'. This paper brings to the fore an innovative research model designed to examine how parents and teachers shape teenagers’ perceptions of Internet use, particularly for learning purposes. The model is based on the Israeli youth experience with the technology; however it bears resemblance to the experience of numerous Western countries. We believe that a better understanding of the clashes between actors' interpretations of the technology and its functionality will allow a better understanding of the contributors to the widening of social and cultural gaps among youth. It may consequently enable the updating of teachers' training programs, as well as better the fit between the use of the Internet at the home and at school.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: This study proposes a resource-based explanation for the negative relationship between teenage parenthood and educational attainment and tests the explanation using survey data from the 1988-2000 National Education Longitudinal Study (U.S. Department of Education, 2002). The availability of material resources such as housing and financial support is hypothesized to mediate the negative effect of teenage parenthood on education. Resources provide a potential explanation for the well-documented negative impact of becoming an adolescent parent on one’s future educational attainment. Results support the hypothesis: resources mediate the detrimental influence of parenthood on education, and resource-rich teenage parents do not have significantly lower educational attainment than non-parents. This finding has important implications for policy since providing teenage parents with resources may reduce or eradicate the educational penalty of parenthood, likely improving socioeconomic conditions for both parent and child.