Family Life Course Status and Volunteer Behavior: Implications for the Single Parent

Abstract

This paper reports the findings of a study that examines the relationship between family life course status (based on marital status, parenthood, and age of youngest child) and volunteer behavior. Also, the impact of being a single parent on volunteering is examined. Married parents are more likely to volunteer generally and, specifically, in certain youth-oriented activities. However, the status of married-with-children is negatively associated with the aggregate number of hours volunteered, while there is a positive association between single parents with school-age children and hours devoted to certain activities. Single parents with preschool children have neither the social supports of married parents to share roles, nor the relative freedom enjoyed by single persons with no children or with school-age children, and are less likely to volunteer or devote time to organized volunteer activities.

Life Course, Gender, and Participation in Voluntary Organizations in Italy

“…This step is relevant for associational involvement as it changes the way individuals look at social matters, binds individuals in the community, modifies the availability of resources, and increases private responsibilities (Knoke and Thomson 1977;Stoker and Jennings 1995;Oesterle et al 2004). On the one hand, marital status has been found to be associated with engagement in community-oriented voluntary associations (Janoski and Wilson 1995) and with general voluntary involvement (Sundeen 1990). On the other hand, scholars have found a negative effect of partnership on voluntary engagement.…”

Mainstream and Ethnic Volunteering by Korean Immigrants in the United States

“…Research findings show that married people are more likely to volunteer than those who are not married (Mesch et al 2006;Sundeen 1990). Research also suggests that having children in general increases an individual's social networks, and therefore increases their civic engagement (Putnam 2000).…”

Parent Coaches’ Experiences and Insights into a Youth Soccer Program

“…In this group, parents who have older children are likely to volunteer more hours than parents with young children (Damico et al 1998;Schlozman et al, 1994). Further, households with school-age children are more likely to volunteer if parents are married versus if a parent identifies as single (Sundeen 1990).…”