Childhood and adolescent precursors of adult labour force attachment: Influences of neighbourhood characteristics Piotr Wilk Psychiatry and Bechavioural Sciences McMaster University Hamilton, Ontario [email protected]
Mar 26, 2015
Childhood and adolescent precursors of adult labour force attachment:
Influences of neighbourhood characteristics
Piotr WilkPsychiatry and Bechavioural Sciences
McMaster UniversityHamilton, Ontario
Objectives
• Examine childhood and adolescent predictors of adult labour force attachment
• Focus on effects attributable to early exposure to neighbourhood influences
Past Research
• The collective socialization and social isolation theories posit that neighbourhood influences operate through –role modeling and enforcement of social
norms
–economic conditions of neighbourhoods
Past Research
• Timing of neighbourhood effects–focus on adolescents
–growing interest in neighbourhood influences at earlier stages of child development
Research Questions
• Is adult labour force attachment shaped by childhood neighbourhood conditions?
• Is the nature of this relationship dependent on child’s developmental stage?
• Is the nature of this relationship dependent on gender?
Data
• Child and family level data –OCHS 2000 (dependent variables)
–OCHS 1983 (independent variables)
• Neighbourhood level data –1981 Census of Canada
Measurements: Labour Force Attachment
• Work Attitudes– latent variable based on 7 items
–scale from 1 (weak) to 5 (strong attachment)
• Work Stability–single indicator latent variable
–based on work history calendar
–number of months employed (last 3 years)
Measurements: Neighbourhoods
• Neighbourhoods are defined as Census enumeration areas
• Neighbourhood Socio-Economic Status – latent variable based on three items:
educational attainment, occupational status, and income
• Employment Rate–single indicator measure of neighbourhood
employment rate
Measurements: Families
• Family Socio-Economic Status (latent variable) – based on three items: parental educational
attainment, parental occupational status, and family income
• Employment Stability (continuous variable)
– number of months employed (last year)
• Immigration Status (dummy variable) – both parents born abroad
• Residential Stability (dummy variable) – family experienced residential mobility (last year)
Measurements: Children
• Age (Group variable)
– ‘Children’ (4-11 years old in 1983)
– ‘Adolescents’ (12-16 year old in 1983)
• Sex (Group variable)
Analytical Approach
• Longitudinal design
• Structural equation modeling
• Multi-group analysis
Estimation Procedure
• Base model –gross effect of neighbourhood variables
• Full model –neighbourhood effects controlling for family
background variables
• Multi-group analysis –by age
–by gender
Empirical Model
FAMILYSES
INCOME
OCCUPATION
EDUCATION*
WORK ATTITUDE
Q 1
Q 2
Q 3
Q 4*
Q 5EMPLOYED
NEIGHBOURHOODSES
INCOME
OCCUPATION*
EDUCATION
IMMIGRANT
MOVED
EMPLOYMENT RATE
EMPLOYMENT STABILITY
EMP. HISTORY
Results: Employment Stability
Est. S.D. P Est. S.D. P
Neighbourhood PredictorsSocio-Economic Status 0.037 0.029 0.205 0.044 0.035 0.207Employment Rate 0.165 0.069 0.016 0.122 0.068 0.075
Family PredictorsSocio-Economic Status ----- ----- ----- -0.027 0.141 0.846Employment Status ----- ----- ----- -0.320 0.188 0.089Birth Place ----- ----- ----- 0.408 0.613 0.506Family Mobility ----- ----- ----- -0.322 0.490 0.511
Base Model Full Model
Results: Employment Stability by Age
Est. S.E. P Est. S.E. P
Neighbourhood PredictorsSES 0.030 0.044 0.499 0.074 0.057 0.191Employment Rate 0.192 0.088 0.028 0.040 0.110 0.712
Family PredictorsSES -0.012 0.188 0.951 -0.109 0.218 0.617Employment Status -0.134 0.264 0.612 -0.521 0.271 0.055Birth Place 0.031 0.811 0.969 0.980 0.937 0.296Family Mobility -0.635 0.619 0.305 -0.310 0.788 0.695
Age 4-11 Age 12-16
Results: Employment Stability by Sex
Est. S.E. P Est. S.E. P
Neighbourhood PredictorsSES -0.008 0.042 0.857 0.098 0.056 0.078Employment Rate 0.202 0.082 0.014 0.056 0.107 0.598
Family PredictorsSES -0.208 0.177 0.240 0.093 0.214 0.666Employment Status -0.138 0.218 0.527 -0.582 0.305 0.056Birth Place -0.323 0.744 0.665 1.042 0.954 0.283Family Mobility -0.324 0.584 0.579 -0.320 0.775 0.680
Males Females
Results:Work Attitudes
Est. S.D. P Est. S.D. P
Neighbourhood Predictors Socio-Economic Status 0.004 0.002 0.051 0.004 0.003 0.173
Employment Rate -0.010 0.005 0.049 -0.010 0.005 0.037
Family PredictorsSocio-Economic Status ----- ----- ----- 0.008 0.010 0.455Employment Status ----- ----- ----- -0.011 0.014 0.435Birth Place ----- ----- ----- -0.072 0.045 0.108Family Mobility ----- ----- ----- 0.050 0.036 0.158
Base Model Full Model
Results:Work Attitudes by Age
Est. S.E. P Est. S.E. P
Neighbourhood PredictorsSES 0.004 0.003 0.177 0.002 0.004 0.628Employment Rate -0.013 0.007 0.038 -0.006 0.008 0.441
Family PredictorsSES 0.004 0.014 0.803 0.012 0.016 0.434Employment Status -0.015 0.019 0.451 -0.008 0.019 0.683Birth Place -0.123 0.060 0.040 -0.018 0.067 0.789Family Mobility 0.045 0.046 0.326 0.071 0.056 0.206
Age 4-11 Age 12-16
Results:Work Attitudes by Sex
Est. S.E. P Est. S.E. P
Neighbourhood PredictorsSESus 0.005 0.003 0.168 0.003 0.004 0.406Employment Rate -0.005 0.007 0.496 -0.016 0.007 0.028
Family PredictorsSES -0.014 0.015 0.330 0.022 0.015 0.125Employment Status 0.012 0.018 0.514 -0.038 0.021 0.070Birth Place -0.100 0.061 0.102 -0.050 0.065 0.431Family Mobility -0.029 0.048 0.548 0.122 0.053 0.021
Males Females
Conclusions
• As expected, neighbourhood employment rate has positive effect on employment stability but only among males and children age 4 to 11
• Neighbourhood employment rate has negative effect on work attitudes but only among females and children age 4 to 11
• No significant effect for neighbourhood socio-economic status
• Limited support for collective socialization and social isolation theories
Thank You!