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The Gendering of Adolescents' Childbearing and Educational Plans: Reciprocal Effects and the Influence of Social Context

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Abstract

We examined the role of gender in relation to adolescents' educational and childbearing plans, the extent to which these plans were interdependent, and the differential effect of gender and social context. The High School and Beyond data were used to estimate a 2-stage least squares model of the reciprocal effect of plans and the influence of social context on plans by gender (N = 6,086). Results indicated that girls expected the timing of childbearing to affect their educational attainment, but boys did not. Educational plans had a greater, positive effect on girls' childbearing plans relative to boys. Family and school contexts also differentially affected girls' and boys' plans. We concluded that gender was important to the development to these adolescents' plans.

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  1. Department of Sociology/Anthropology, Millersville University of Pennsylvania, Millersville, Pennsylvania

    Kimberly A. Mahaffy

  2. Department of Sociology, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire

    Sally K. Ward

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  1. Kimberly A. Mahaffy
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Mahaffy, K.A., Ward, S.K. The Gendering of Adolescents' Childbearing and Educational Plans: Reciprocal Effects and the Influence of Social Context. Sex Roles 46, 403–417 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020413630553

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