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Why Does Parental Divorce Lower Children's Educational Attainment? A Causal Mediation Analysis
Jennie E Brand1, Ravaris Moore2, Xi Song3
1Departments of Sociology and Statistics, California Center for Population Research; and Center for Social Statistics.University of California, Los Angeles.
Sociological Science
|June 13, 2019
Summary
Parental divorce significantly impacts white children's educational attainment, mainly due to reduced family income and instability. For nonwhite children, these effects are minimal, offset by skill development.
Area of Science:
- Sociology
- Economics
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Parental divorce is a significant life event with potential long-term consequences for children.
- Previous research has explored the link between divorce and children's educational outcomes, but causal mediation has been underexplored.
- Understanding the specific mechanisms through which divorce affects education is crucial for targeted interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To estimate the causal mediation effects of parental divorce on children's educational attainment.
- To examine racial disparities in the effects of divorce on education.
- To identify the roles of postdivorce family conditions (income, stability) and children's skills (psychosocial, cognitive) in mediating these effects.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a causal framework to analyze linked U.S. panel data.
- Assessed educational attainment, focusing on college completion.
- Differentiated analyses by race (white and nonwhite) and considered mediating factors like family income, family instability, and children's skills.
Main Results:
- Parental divorce substantially lowers educational attainment for white children, particularly college enrollment.
- For white children, declines in family income explain 67-100% of the negative effect of divorce on education.
- Family instability and psychosocial skills also mediate the effect for white children, while cognitive skills play a minor role. Divorce does not negatively impact nonwhite children's educational attainment.
Conclusions:
- Family income and stability are key mediators of the negative educational impact of parental divorce on white children.
- Psychosocial skill development partially offsets the effects of divorce for both white and nonwhite children.
- Racial differences exist in the pathways through which parental divorce influences educational attainment, with nonwhite children showing resilience.