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Parental separation and children’s education – changes over time?

Author

Listed:
  • Sanna Kailaheimo-Lönnqvist
  • Marika Jalovaara
  • Mikko Myrskylä

    (Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany)

Abstract

Objective and background: The association between parental separation and children’s education has been widely studied, but mostly at a single time point, for one educational outcome at a time and for marital dissolution only. We examine whether the (generally negative) association has changed across cohorts for several educational outcomes and whether the association differs by parental union type (marriage, cohabitation) and family background (parental education). Due to high rates of separation, the association with children’s education could have weakened over time. Methods: We use Finnish total population register data. We focus on child cohorts born between 1987 and 2003 (N=1,004,823) and analyse grade point averages, secondary education and tertiary education using linear probability models with standard errors clustered within families. Results and conclusion: The association between parental separation and educational achievement is negative and has remained similar across the birth cohorts. Differences according to parental union type and socioeconomic family background are small and do not exhibit changes over time. The stability of the association over time suggests that the consequences of parental separation on children’s education have not changed, even though attitudes towards separation may have changed. Keywords: parental separation, parental divorce, children’s education, cohort differences

Suggested Citation

  • Sanna Kailaheimo-Lönnqvist & Marika Jalovaara & Mikko Myrskylä, 2023. "Parental separation and children’s education – changes over time?," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2023-036, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:dem:wpaper:wp-2023-036
    DOI: 10.4054/MPIDR-WP-2023-036
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Martin Kreidl & Martina Štípková & Barbora Hubatková, 2017. "Parental separation and children’s education in a comparative perspective: Does the burden disappear when separation is more common?," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 36(3), pages 73-110.
    2. Juho Härkönen & Marika Jalovaara & Eevi Lappalainen & Anneli Miettinen, 2023. "Double Disadvantage in a Nordic Welfare State: A Demographic Analysis of the Single-Parent Employment Gap in Finland, 1987–2018," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 39(1), pages 1-27, December.
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    6. Juho Härkönen & Fabrizio Bernardi & Diederik Boertien, 2017. "Family Dynamics and Child Outcomes: An Overview of Research and Open Questions," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 33(2), pages 163-184, May.
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    8. Michael Gähler & Eva-Lisa Palmtag, 2015. "Parental Divorce, Psychological Well-Being and Educational Attainment: Changed Experience, Unchanged Effect Among Swedes Born 1892–1991," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 123(2), pages 601-623, September.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    parental separation; parental divorce; children’s education; cohort differences;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics
    • Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General

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