The power of one? Poverty and union formation among single mothers in Sweden, 1947-2015

Maria Stanfors, Centre for Economic Demography/Dept of Economic History, Lund University
Gabriel Brea Martínez, Centre for Economic Demography, Department of Economic History, Lund University

Lone mothers make up the largest share of lone parents in the present as well as in the past. They have fewer resources than partnered mothers with implications for their own well-being and their children’s future. We know, however, much more about this transmission of disadvantage for contemporary contexts than for the past, as extant research primarily covers the post-1970 period, and thus provides limited insights into the changing influence of poverty as societies modernize and welfare states develop. We apply a long-term perspective and study the implications of the rise of single-mother families in Sweden using individual-level data from the Scanian Economic and Demographic Database (SEDD) 1905-2015. Against the backdrop of increasing yet changing (i.e., regarding reasons for) lone motherhood, we investigate the long-term the consequences of growing up with a lone mother for children in terms of education, occupation, and income. We explore change over time against the backdrop of the changing demography of lone mothers and policy initiatives mediating the consequences of growing up with only one parent. Examination of more or less causal relationships (OLS, LPM, PSM) suggests disadvantage in adulthood for those who grew up with lone mothers in terms of higher education, SES, and income. Growing up with a lone mother has important consequences for educational attainment, adult income, and occupational status. Both the persistence of living with a lone parent as well as the age at which having a lone parent is experienced matters. Growing up with a lone mother has negative consequences for economic outcomes in adulthood, irrespective of gender, and despite comprehensive reforms and welfare state expansion determined to equalize later life consequences of adverse childhood experiences.

No extended abstract or paper available

 Presented in Session 8. Family Structure, Disruptions, and Outcomes