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Stay in School, Dont Become a ParentTeen Life Transitions and Cumulative Disadvantages for Voter TurnoutPennsylvania State University, University Park
Pennsylvania State University, University Park We investigate three important life transitionsbecoming a parent, getting married, and dropping out or graduating from high schoolon the development of civic engagement. We qualify the socioeconomic status and resources frameworks by arguing that effects should differ across racial and ethnic lines. We address these issues by analyzing data from a nationally representative, 12-year panel study comprising more than 12,000 eighth graders in 1988 (National Educational Longitudinal Survey, 1988-2000). We show that early parenthood can have important and lasting impacts on voter turnout many years later. For Whites, early parenthood leads to increased risk of dropping out of high school. High school interruption has major negative impacts on later turnout, even when the student eventually returned to earn a diploma. The findings advance our understanding of the crucial period of adolescence by showing how race and event timing condition the impact of formative life events on later political participation.
Key Words: youth voting voter turnout early parenthood lifecycle transition political participation
American Politics Research, Vol. 35, No. 1,
32-56 (2007) |
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