Publications [#143436] of Christina M. Gibson-Davis

Papers Submitted

1. C.M. Gibson-Davis, Going Underground, but Not to Wed: The Association between Fathers’ Informal Employment and Marriage (2008)
   (last updated on 2008/02/08)

   Abstract:
   With data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Survey, a cohort of predominantly unwed parents, this study investigates how participation in the informal economy affects fathers’ marital transitions. This is the first work to consider the association between the informal economy and marriage, but the topic is highly relevant given current efforts to promote marriage among low-income parents. Using life table estimates and survival analysis, results indicate that fathers who derive a greater portion of their earnings from informal activities were associated with decreased odds of marriage. Effects were most robust for white fathers. When informal earnings were divided into licit (legal) and illicit (illegal) categories, findings suggest that Hispanic fathers with licit wages were just as likely to marry as those with formal wages, but more likely to marry than fathers with illicit wages. Higher informal earnings may discourage marriage because they are considered incompatible with the normative expectation that married fathers have socially acceptable earnings.