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“Childhood Disadvantage, Adolescent
Development, and Pro-social Behavior in Early Adulthood”
J. Brian
Brown & Daniel T. Lichter
Advances
in Life-Course Research (2005) Forthcoming
Do
disadvantaged children and adolescents become socially responsible, productive,
and civic-minded adults? Linking
recently surveyed young adults to their earlier childhood and adolescent
experiences (using data from the the NLSY), we: (1) document young adults’
pro-social behavior (i.e., formal volunteering), (2) estimate the long-term
effects of childhood disadvantage on volunteering in young adulthood, (3)
assess the possible mediating effects of adolescent development, and (4)
identify characteristics associated with pro-social behavior among young adults
from economically disadvantaged families.
We argue that a long-term negative effect of childhood disadvantage on
pro-social behavior in early adulthood operates in part through adolescent
development. Among young adults from
disadvantaged families, school enrollment and regular church attendance are
strongly associated with pro-social behavior.
Our results support the view that a disadvantaged childhood has
long-term effects on social engagement, yet this cycle can be broken through
positive adolescent experiences.
"Poverty, Welfare, and the Livelihood Strategies of Nonmetropolitan Single Mothers"
J. Brian Brown & Daniel T. Lichter
Rural Sociology (2004) 69:2 pages 282-301
Our results indicate surprisingly similar livelihood strategies among single mothers in nonmetro and metro areas. Employment, cohabitation, and co-residence are strongly associated with improvements in economic well-being. However, nonmetro single mothers are less likely than metro mothers to benefit economically from full-time employment. Our results suggest strict “work-first” policies are likely to be less efficacious in nonmetro areas. Indeed, some nonmetro single mothers are often “triply disadvantaged” compared to their metro counterparts. That is, they experience higher rates of poverty, higher barriers to welfare receipt, and lower economic returns from other livelihood strategies.
Daniel T. Lichter, Christie D. Batson & J. Brian Brown
Social Service Review (2004) 78:1 pages 2-25
We examine the marital expectations, desires, and behaviors of single and cohabiting unmarried mothers using nationally representative data. Our study suggests that a substantial majority of unmarried women, including disadvantaged single and cohabiting mothers, value marriage as a personal goal. We also find systematic differences among subgroups with somewhat lower marital expectations among disadvantaged women, single mothers, and racial minority women. However, our results also indicate that marital desires do not easily translate into marriage. Accordingly, from a public policy perspective, single mothers’ attitudes or values about marriage need not be changed. The problem is one of identifying and reducing barriers that prevent single women from realizing their strong aspirations for marriage.
"Is Marriage a Panacea? Union Formation Among Economically Disadvantaged Unwed Mothers"
Daniel T. Lichter, Deborah Roempke Graefe & J. Brian Brown
Social Problems (2003) 50:1 pages 60-86
Current U.S. government policy views marriage as an economic panacea for disadvantaged unwed mothers. Our results indicate that disadvantaged women who have had children out of wedlock have substantially lower rates of subsequent marriage than other women. Poverty and welfare receipt are lower for those who married and stayed married than for those who never married or were divorced. The economic benefits of marriage are especially strong among women from disadvantaged families. However, for women who marry, but then divorce, poverty rates exceed those of never married women. Further, marriage will not offset the long-term deleterious effects associated with unwed childbearing, nor will it eliminate the existing disparity in poverty and welfare receipt among various racial and ethnic groups.
"Doing Drag: A Visual Case Study of Gender Performance and Gay Masculinities"
J. Brian Brown
Visual Sociology/Studies (2001) 16:1 pages 37-54
(Note: I started this article as an undergraduate honors thesis, and I continued to revise it after entering graduate school. Although my research interests shifted after entering graduate school, I continue to benefit from the early research/publishing/presentation experience acquired while seeing this paper through to publication. )
Academic and public interpretations of drag performance have been bound by the argument that drag queens reveal the non-essential nature of gender but still reinforce the hegemonic gender order through portrayals of emphasized femininity. I offer a fresh perspective on professional drag queen performance by examining how it intersects with the gay masculinity of an accomplished performer. I find that drag performance is a salient way to reify aspects of gay masculinity that are otherwise rejected by the hegemonic gender order. When alternative masculinities are met with acceptance the hegemonic gender order is subverted and masculinity can be expanded in lasting ways. Researchers would do well to treat sexuality as a key component of gender in drag performances and the audience as an active participant.
