Working Paper Abstract

Living Arrangements of Single-Mother Families: Variations, Transitions, and Child Development Outcomes
Ariel Kalil, Thomas DeLeire, Rukmalie Jayakody, Meejung Chin
http://www.harrisschool.uchicago.edu/faculty/web-pages/ariel-kalil.asp

Abstract:
Using a sample of 7,656 children observed over a three-year period in the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), we document the proportion of time children spend in various living arrangements and the number of transitions among them. We focus on four types of living arrangements for children: (a) living with a married mother; (b) coresiding with a single mother and her parent(s); (c) cohabiting with a single mother and her male partner; and (d) living with a single mother who is neither coresiding nor cohabiting. A substantial number of children experience coresiding and cohabiting arrangements, and approximately 11% of the children experience at least one transition. Results suggest that living with a single mother or living in a cohabiting arrangement is associated with poorer child development outcomes relative to living in married mother arrangements. In contrast, children in coresiding arrangements do not have poorer outcomes relative to children in married mother arrangements.

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