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Effects of Welfare Participation on Marriage
Julien O Teitler1, Nancy E Reichman, Lenna Nepomnyaschy
1Columbia University School of Social Work, 1255 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10027 ( jot8@columbia.edu ).
Abstract:
We investigate the widely held premise that welfare participation causes women to refrain from marriage. Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing study (N = 3,219), we employ an event history approach to study transitions to marriage among mothers who have had a non-marital birth. We find that welfare participation reduces the likelihood of transitioning to marriage (hazard ratio is .67, p < .01), but only while the mother is receiving benefits. Once the mother leaves welfare, past receipt has little effect on marriage. We infer that the negative association between welfare participation and subsequent marriage reflects temporary economic disincentives rather than an erosion of values.
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