The Effect of Female-Headed Households on Educational Attainment: A Comparative Analysis of White and Black Respondents

Abstract

The study presents an analysis of the relationship between living in female-headed households and educational attainment among White and Black respondents. A statistically significant relationship is found for the White respondents. For the Black respondents, the relationship is not statistically significant. The empirical findings cast doubt on the “pathology of matriarchy” hypothesis that the breakdown of the Black family has placed Black children at a distinct disadvantage in obtaining education and social well-being. The results point instead to the importance of the social and economic resources within the family. The proposition that growing up in a female-headed household is more devastating for males than for females in terms of educational attainment is not supported. The data used for this study came from the General Social Survey (GSS) of the National Opinion Research Center (NORC). The analysis was conducted from the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and the year 2000 data.

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