Racial and Ethnic Variation in the Relationship Between Student Loan Debt and the Transition to First Birth

Abstract

The present study employs discrete-time hazard regression models to investigate the relationship between student loan debt and the probability of transitioning to either marital or nonmarital first childbirth using the 1997 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY97). Accounting for nonrandom selection into student loans using propensity scores, our study reveals that the effect of student loan debt on the transition to motherhood differs among white, black, and Hispanic women. Hispanic women holding student loans experience significant declines in the probability of transitioning to both marital and nonmarital motherhood, whereas black women with student loans are significantly more likely to transition to any first childbirth. Indebted white women experience only a decrease in the probability of a marital first birth. The results from this study suggest that student loans will likely play a key role in shaping future demographic patterns and behaviors.

Parents, Partners, Plans and Promises: The Relational Work of Student Loan Borrowing

“…The findings of this literature have been somewhat mixed, with some studies showing associations across the board (Addo, Houle, and Sassler 2019;Gicheva 2016), while others find that they are limited to women (Nau, Dwyer, and Hodson 2015), vary by race (Min and Taylor 2018), or attenuate over time (Bozick and Estacion 2014). They have also focused on measurable outcomes (e.g.…”

“…While holding student loan debt was once positively associated with marriage, at least for men (Addo, Houle, and Sassler 2019), a growing number of studies find evidence that student loan debt now delays marriage (Addo 2014;Gicheva 2016;Velez, Cominole, and Bentz 2019), particularly for women (Bozick and Estacion 2014;Sieg and Wang 2018), though it may increase the likelihood of cohabitation (Addo 2014). Similarly, evidence is emerging that student loan debt delays childbearing for women (Velez, Cominole, and Bentz 2019), especially at high debt levels (Nau, Dwyer, and Hodson 2015), but that this relationship varies with race (Min and Taylor 2018). Evidence also exists that student loan debt is associated with "boomeranging"-6 returning to the parental home-among some subgroups (black borrowers and those who did not complete a degree; Houle and Warner 2017), and that consumer debt (including, but not limited to, education debt) predicts marital conflict as well (Dew 2007).…”

To Be or Not To Be: Relationship Between Grandparent Status and Health and Wellbeing

“…Women's increasing levels of education are associated with delayed marriage and childbirth (Choi, 2018;Marphatia et al, 2020). High costs of child rearing also prevent some young people from having children (Basten & Jiang, 2015;Min & Taylor, 2018). In uenced by rising individualism, young people have more motivation to embrace a childless lifestyle and to delay childbirth (Keizer, Dystra, & Poortman, 2011).…”

Pathways to Parenthood in Social and Family Contexts: Decade in Review, 2020

“…Young adults feel priced out of buying a home (Xu, Johnson, Bartholomae, O'Neill, & Gutter, ), and housing factors (ownership, costs, space) have been linked to childbearing decisions (for a short review, see Zavisca & Gerber, ). Student loan debts loom large among young adults, with higher levels of debt associated with delayed childbearing (Min & Taylor, ; Nau, Dwyer, & Hodson, ). The nature of employment has changed, making income less stable and predictable; income volatility has also been linked to lower birth rates (Mansour, ).…”