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Editor:
Tonya Allen
allen@pop.psu.edu
PRInformation Spring 1997 - Focus on Biodemography
Contents
- Note from the Director
- Focus on Biodemography
- Faculty Focus
- Staff News
- Student News
- Alumni News
- Articles of Interest
- New External Research Funding at PRI
- Selected Publications
It seems that demography and the other social sciences can no longer isolate themselves from new advances in the biological and life sciences. Talk therapy is now often supplanted or at least augmented by pharmacological solutions (e.g., the administration of Prozac for depression). Sociological theories of crime, achievement, and psychosocial well-being have been shown to have important links to biological processes and genetic factors. The controversy surrounding the publication of The Bell Curve and the role of IQ in achievement stemmed, in part, from the implication that achievement is constrained by innate cognitive abilities. The social epidemiology of disease and increased longevity no longer ignores genetic risk factors that place limits on healthy living. Theories in evolutionary biology and psychology suggest that some current social arrangements (e.g., family structure, gender relationships and differences) are rooted, at least in part, in the uneven survival and extinction of genetic traits in the population.
This issue of PRInformation highlights some of the contributions of faculty in the Population Research Institute to the emerging field of biodemography. The PRI has initiated a small grants program, supported in part by NICHD, that encourages pilot research in biobehavioral genetics, behavioral endocrinology, and health and mortality. The PRI has also begun an annual speaker series in biodemography and biosocial behavior. In addition, there are several active research projects that include a biological component. For example, Dr. James Wood, Dr. Darryl Holman, and Dr. Kathleen O'Connor (Anthropology) have received support from both NSF and NIH for research on reproductive aging and fecundity. Dr. Alan Booth (Sociology) has received external funding from the W.T. Grant Foundation to study the relationship between hormones (e.g., testosterone, cortistol) and marital quality and child development, focusing especially on the biological factors that moderate the pathway between social environment and pat terns of interaction among married couples. Dr. Elizabeth Susman (Biobehavioral Health) is working on interactions between social environmental risk factors (such as poverty) and the endocrine system and its relationship to early teenage fertility. Dr. Martina Morris (Sociology and Statistics), with support from NIH, is studying sexual networks and AIDS transmission. Dr. Mark Hayward's (Sociology) research examines the relationship between social class conditions over the life course and the compression of morbidity and frailty. And Dr. Kenneth Weiss (Anthropology and Genetics) recently received NSF support to study the sequencing and haplotyping of archival human DNA samples which will guide future research on variation in disease-related phenotypes within and between populations.
The research of PRI faculty does not assume the primacy of biological over social factors in the explanation of demographic behaviors. Demographers here and elsewhere now recognize that both biological and social factors must be considered together -- in interactive terms. Indeed, biological effects on human behavior are often triggered by environmental or social factors. These are changing times in the social sciences as new theoretical perspectives, new forms of data, and new analytic and methodological approaches increasingly incorporate both biological and social factors in the study of population processes. Some of these developments are being initiated by PRI researchers and are highlighted in this issue.
Daniel T. Lichter
Director
Holman Studies Ovarian Function in Rural Bangladeshi Women
Dr. Darryl J. Holman, postdoctoral Fellow in PRI, is using data collected as part of an eleven-month prospective reproductive survey in Bangladesh to characterize complete ovarian cycles. The study included the collection of twice-weekly survey data and morning urine samples for one year from women 18 to 45 years of age. Specific goals of the project include examining endocrinological interactions and factors influencing non-lactational, non-menopausal anovulation; and investigating the transition from cycling to peri-menopausal to menopausal at a resolution allowing characterization of complete ovarian cycles.
Research from this project revealed that earlier menopause among these rural Bangladeshi women (roughly eight years earlier than in developed countries) may be the result of stress-related shutdown of ovarian cycling, similar to that experienced by anorexics and runners, rather than the natural progression of aging.
This research project is titled "Ovarian Function in Rural Bangladeshi Females" and is funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
Modeling Age-Specific Marital Fertility
Dr. James W. Wood has been studying fertility for a number of years with funding from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. His current research project, "A Model of Age-Specific Marital Fertility," is a continuing project which focuses on extending a mathematical model of fecundability for married women in the United States previously developed by Dr. Wood. This model includes physiological and behavioral factors of both men and women, and has been expanded to incorporate sterility and the onset of new sterility, a postpartum infecundable period, early pregnancy loss, and variations in sexual behavior.
Recent research has focused on understanding the full effects of fetal loss (pregnancy wastage) on effective fecundability. Earlier models treated the probability of loss as a scalar that discounts effective fecundability multiplicatively. This project, in contrast, attempts to model the entire distribution of times added to the birth interval by fetal loss, allowing covariates such as maternal age to affect the different components of the time added differentially. The modeling effort draws upon recent empirical studies in the U.S. and Bangladesh (including work done in Dr. Wood's laboratory) that estimate the components of loss using prospective hormonal data. The primary findings of this research are (1) that fetal loss has a much larger effect on the distribution of birth intervals than previously has been realized, (2) that a two-point frailty distribution (high risk zygotes versus low risk zygotes) captures most of the observed heterogeneity in loss, and (3) that the increase in risk of loss with maternal age primarily reflects an increase in the number of zygotes in the high risk group, not in the actual risks of each group.
Pregnancy-Related Nausea Topic of NSF Funded Project
Understanding the relationship between the risk of fetal loss and pregnancy-related sickness (also known as "morning sickness") is one goal of the study "Pregnancy Related Sickness in Rural Bangladesh" funded by the National Science Foundation. This research is being carried out by Dr. Kathleen O'Connor, NIA postdoctoral trainee at PRI, Dr. Darryl J. Holman, NICHD postdoctoral Fellow at PRI, and Dr. James W. Wood, professor of anthropology. Prior studies on pregnancy-related sickness (PRS) have found that the risk of fetal loss is lower in women who have PRS, implying that PRS is a benevolent kind of sickness. These studies, however, did not control for the effect of increasing risk of fetal loss with maternal age. The PRI researchers have found that the risk of fetal loss increases with maternal age, while the risk of PRS tends to decrease with maternal age. Fetal loss and PRS are thus both related to maternal age, but are not related to each other. Another goal of the research is to examine the relationship with PRS of the reproductive hormones human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), estrogen, and progesterone. Preliminary results indicate that higher levels of hCG are associated with a higher risk of nausea and vomiting in the first trimester of pregnancy.
The specific aims of the research project are (1) to describe the symptoms, prevalence, maternal age pattern, and gestational timing of PRS in a non-Western population; (2) to determine the relationship between pregnancy hormone profiles and the characteristics and gestational timing of PRS; and (3) to determine the relationship between pregnancy outcome and PRS, while simultaneously examining important covariates such as maternal age, hormone profiles, and parity. This study is one of the most comprehensive examinations of PRS, one of the few to study it in a non-Western population, and one of the few to use non-clinical, prospective, population-based field research. The sample is a random sample of women from Matlab, Bangladesh.
W.T. Grant Foundation Funds Research on Behavior and Biology
The W.T. Grant Foundation is funding a study titled "Hormones, Family Process, and Child Development" that examines the relationship between hormone production and behavior within the context of the family. The hormones studied are testosterone (T) and cortisol (C). These hormones hold the most promise for illuminating the linkages between biology, behavior, and environment. The researchers in this study, Dr. Alan Booth, professor of sociology, Dr. Ann Crouter, professor of human development, Dr. Douglas Granger, assistant professor of biobehavioral health and human development, Dr. Susan McHale, professor of human development at Penn State, and Dr. David Johnson, professor of sociology at the University of Nebraska, are taking the important step of studying the interrelation of hormones and behavior within the context of the family. The focus on the family is important because the frequent interaction and the intimate nature of the environment make it very probable that the hormone-environment relationships are most likely to be played out in ways that have implications for child development.
Data will be collected from the mother and father and two siblings in each family, allowing comparisons not only between families, but within families. Saliva samples are used to assess levels of cortisol and testosterone in parents and children. The research addresses three questions. First, are the behaviors with which each hormone is systematically linked manifested in family relations? Antisocial behavior, aggression, dominance, risk-taking, low interest in child-rearing, and high interest in traditionally masculine activities are linked to testosterone levels. Cortisol has been tied to timidity, on the one hand, and stress management skills on the other. Second, if hormones are systematically linked to behaviors, what are the consequences of these family relations for child psychosocial development? And third, do patterns of family relations affect behavior in ways that, over time, alter hormone levels that may, in turn, influence the behavior of children, mothers, and fathers? In other word s, do parents who are high T interact differently with children (or spouses) who are like themselves than with those who have low T or high C? If so, how do these differential patterns of interaction influence child development?
New Technique under Development for Studying DNA
Dr. Kenneth M. Weiss, Distinguished Professor of Anthropology and professor of genetics, has received funding from the National Science Foundation to do systematic developmental work on a method, previously explored in a preliminary way, to amplify small amounts of DNA enzymatically (without cell line transformation). This method, referred to as Adapter Attachment and Amplification (AAA), involves cutting genomic DNA into usefully long fragments, and amplifying those, resulting in an amplified mix containing as much of the original genome as possible. This material can subsequently be amplified for gene-specific studies of population variation. If the method can be made to work effectively, it will allow the creation of the equivalent of phage genomic libraries in PCR tubes, on a batch scale, in about three days that are easy and inexpensive to work with and to store.
Biodemographic Models of Reproductive Aging
The transition to menopause encompasses a wide ranging set of changes for women. In this study, newly funded by the National Institute on Aging, Dr. James W. Wood, Dr. Darryl Holman, Dr. Phyllis Mansfield, professor of health and human development, and Dr. Kathleen O'Connor will explore the endocrinology of menopause and link it with the prior reproductive and menstrual history of a large, well-defined cohort of women. These women are enrolled in the Tremin Trust, and data have been collected on menstrual and reproductive histories, life-cycle events and health status for up to 30 years. As part of this study, daily first-morning urine specimens will be collected during a six-month window during each of the five project years. The urine specimens will be assayed for the urinary metabolites of estrogen and progesterone, and for luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone. This research differs from other studies of menopause in several important respects. First, the researchers have access to decades worth of prospectively-reported data. Second, unlike most other studies of the endocrinology of the menopause, this study utilizes a population-based cohort of women who were all recruited well before the transition. Third, the researchers will develop and apply new mathematical models that will link characteristics of the menopausal transition to prior history and underlying biological mechanisms.
Reproductive Endocrinology Lab at PRI
PRI's Laboratory of Reproductive Endocrinology is devoted to population-based studies that combine demographic and endocrinological methods. It is one of very few endocrine labs in the world dedicated exclusively to population research. The Laboratory supports assays for steroids (principally estradiol and progesterone) and protein hormones (luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, and chorionic gonadotropic). With these assays, it is possible to track major segments of a woman's reproductive life course on a prospective basis, providing unparalleled insight into the biological determinants of fertility and the pace of childbearing. With support from the NIH and NSF, the laboratory is currently investigating hormonal and clinical aspects of the transition to menopause, the fertility-reducing effects of pregnancy loss, and the causes and consequences of pregnancy sickness. The Laboratory has a strong commitment to international research and archives samples from the United States, Bangladesh, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, and Zaire.
De Jong Receives International Achievement Award
Dr. Gordon F. De Jong, Distinguished Professor of Sociology and director of the graduate program in demography, has won the 1997 W. LaMarr Kopp International Achievement Award. This award recognizes faculty and staff members who have contributed significantly to Penn State's international mission through research and teaching. Dr. De Jong has served as director of the graduate program in demography since it was founded in 1987. The program now enrolls 55 students, 21 of whom are from developing countries. He has conducted research in such diverse countries as Peru, England, Holland, Israel, the Philippines, Thailand, and Romania.
Burton Named Faculty Scholar
Dr. Linda M. Burton, professor of human development and family studies and professor of sociology, has been awarded the Faculty Scholar Medal for Outstanding Achievement in the Social and Behavioral Sciences. Her studies of African American families have contributed insights and significantly influenced the field of family sociology.
Weiss Named Fellow of AAAS
Dr. Kenneth M. Weiss, Distinguished Professor of Anthropology and professor of genetics, has been named Fellow of the American Academy for the Advancement of Science.
Jensen Receives Fulbright
Dr. Leif Jensen, associate professor of rural sociology, has received a Fulbright Scholar Award to support his sabbatical leave in Norway during the Fall, 1997 semester. He will be in residence at the Centre for Health and Social Policy Studies at the University of Bergen, and will be affiliated with their Comparative Research Programme on Poverty. While there, he will be exploring poverty and children's labor force participation in Chile, Peru and Mexico, through the analysis of living standards measurement survey data from all three countries.
Susman Gives Invited Address At International Conference
Dr. Elizabeth J. Susman, Shibley Professor of Biobehavioral Health and professor of human development and nursing, gave an invited address at an international conference on "The Development and Prevention of Violence: Origins in Biology and Culture" held at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill last September. Dr. Susman's presentation was titled "Neuroendocrine processes in the prevention of violence." The meeting was partially funded by the French Embassy in Washington to promote interaction between scientists from the U.S., France and Quebec. The next meeting of the group will be held in France.
Lichter Elected to SRA
Dr. Daniel T. Lichter, PRI director and professor of sociology, was elected to membership in the Sociological Research Association. He joins fellow PRI associate and sociologist Dr. Glen Firebaugh. Founded in 1936, the SRA recognizes sociologists for their outstanding research and scholarship. The SRA is currently restricted to 150 active members.
James to Spend Sabbatical in Greece
Dr. Alice James, PRI associate and associate professor of anthropology at Shippensburg State University, will spend the 1997-1998 academic year as visiting research Fellow at the Center for Social Science Research in Athens, Greece. She will be continuing her research on the rapid fertility transition occurring in Greece, the last European country to undergo such a transition.
Tonya Allen was recently appointed information core director. Ms. Allen received her M.S.L.S. from Clarion University of Pennsylvania in 1995, and joins PRI with considerable experience as a corporate librarian and data archivist. She is the incoming editor of PRInformation.
Jeanne Spicer, computer programmer/analyst, will be presenting her paper "Delivering geographic information: For those who can't read a GMAP and won't stop to ask for directions" at the NorthEast SAS User's Group meeting in October, 1997.
Kimberly Zimmerman has been appointed PRI staff assistant and secretary to the Director. She has previously been employed in Penn State's Office of Sponsored Programs.
Cynthia Mitchell, a computer programmer formerly employed in Penn State's Institute for Policy Research and Evaluation, has joined PRI's computer core.
Kristin Brocking has started a new position as program officer, Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C.
Jay Sarangi has received a 1997-1998 Population Council Fellowship to assist in supporting the dissertation writing phase of his program. Mr. Sarangi was one of only 13 chosen for funding from a pool of 137 applicants. His dissertation topic is "Women's Empowerment and Fertility Behavior in Rural India."
Lauri Meschke has accepted a position as assistant professor at Ohio State University in the Department of Human Development and Family Relations.
Samantha Friedman has accepted a position as a research Fellow at the Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy at New York University.
Melonie Heron has received a 1997-1998 Dissertation Fellowship from the International Migration Program of the Social Science Research Council. The award includes both a stipend and funds to support research expenses.
Padma Karunaratne has been accepted for the World Bank Summer Employment Program where she will be working with evaluations in the Economic Development Institute of World Bank.
Amy Pienta has accepted a position as assistant professor at Wayne State University. She will hold a joint appointment in the Institute of Gerontology and the Department of Internal Medicine. She will also be an adjunct professor in the Department of Sociology.
Yoshime Chitose (Ph.D., 1996, Rural Sociology and Demography) is a country specialist with the United Nations Centre for Regional Development in Najoya, Japan.
Anna Madamba (Ph.D., 1994, Sociology and Demography) has accepted a position as a demographic and survey analyst with TIAA-CREF in New York City. She recently completed a post-doctoral fellowship in the Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina.
Pimonpan Isarabhakdi (Ph.D., 1997, Rural Sociology and Demography) is an assistant professor at Mahidol University in Bangkok, Thailand.
Parfait Eloundou-Enyegue (Ph.D., 1997, Rural Sociology and Demography) is working as a Population Council Postdoctoral Fellow at the RAND Corporation in Santa Monica, California.
Felicia LeClere (Ph.D., 1990, Rural Sociology and Demography) has accepted a position as research assistant professor of sociology in the Laboratory for Social Research, University of Notre Dame. She will be leaving National Center for Health Statistics at the end of May and beginning her new position in August 1997.
Nimfa Ogena (Ph.D., 1994) recently accepted a position as associate professor at the Population Institute, University of the Philippines. She will embark on this appointment in October 1997, leaving her current position at the Institute for Population and Social Research, Mahidol University at Salaya, Thailand.
PRI Awarded Mellon Funding
The Mellon Foundation recently awarded the Population Research Institute a three-year grant for research and training in anthropological demography. The $450,000 grant, "International Demographic Research and Training for the 1990s," is directed by Dr. William G. Axinn, professor of sociology. This PRI research program is distinguished by its attention to the social and cultural contexts of reproductive behaviors and to their place in the individual life course. The international demographic research of PRI typically involves ethnographic and/or survey research methods, with such innovations as detailed life histories of individuals, the use of biological specimens for precise measurement of reproductive functioning, and study designs that facilitate the measurement of community influences on reproductive behaviors. Key research sites have included sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and South and Southeast Asia. The funding supports specialized graduate training in anthropological demography, special initiatives in sub-Saharan Africa, a Mellon post-doctoral Fellow, the continued development of institutional ties to developing country demographic research institutions, a returning scholars program, and direct research support for faculty with interests in international demography.
Axinn Directs PERL In Nepal
The mission of the Population and Ecology Research Laboratory (PERL), co-directed by Dr. William Axinn and Dr. Ganesh P. Shivakoti, is to foster sustained social science research and training on issues related to the dramatic social, economic, agricultural, and environmental changes taking place in Nepal. PERL is a joint undertaking of the Rural Resources Studies Program, Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science, Tribhuvan University, Nepal, and PRI.
The research activities of PERL revolve around two large-scale, long-term research projects directed by Dr. Axinn. The first is titled "Changing Social Contexts and Family Formation" or the "Chitwan Valley Study." The second project, "Reciprocal Relations between Population and Environment," builds directly from the Chitwan Valley Study. The study area for both projects is the western part of Chitwan Valley in south central Nepal. It is surrounded by the Chitwan National Forest (jungle) on the south, the Rapti River on the west, Nepal's East-West Highway on the east, and by the Narayani River on the north.
The Chitwan Valley Family Study is designed to investigate the influence of changing social contexts on the timing of marriage, childbearing and contraceptive use. The research is aimed at answering the following specific questions: (1) To what extent do changes in the community-level social and institutional context produce changes in family formation processes? (2) Do changes in the family organization of individual life courses transmit these contextual effects? (3) Do any direct effects of contextual change remain once important individual-level experiences are taken into account? and (4) Do the consequences of community-level changes depend on the cultural context? The study utilizes a combination of ethnographic and survey methods to gather neighborhood histories from 132 neighborhoods in Western Chitwan. The project also will gather personal histories from the approximately 5,000 individuals between the ages of 15 and 59 years living in these neighborhoods.
The Reciprocal Relations between Population and Environment Study is designed to answer the following specific questions regarding the relationships between population change and environmental change: (1) To what extent do changes in marriage timing, household fission, childbearing, and migration influence changes in land use, water quality, and flora diversity? (2) To what extent do variations in land use, water quality, and flora diversity produce changes in marriage timing, household fission, childbearing, and migration? and (3) To what extent are the observed relationships between population processes and the environment produced by exogenous changes in the social and institutional context? Dr. Stephen Matthews, assistant professor of geography and PRI computer core director, and GIA core co-director, is also an investigator on the population and environment study.
Upcoming Conference
The Pennsylvania State University Symposium on Transitions to Adulthood in a Changing Economy: No Work, No Family, No Future? will be held October 30-31, 1997 at the Nittany Lion Inn on the Penn State Campus at University Park. Lead speakers for the conference include Dr. Martha Hill, University of Michigan; Dr. Larry Bumpass, University of Wisconsin; Dr. Jeylan Mortimer, University of Minnesota; and Dr. Valerie K. Oppenheimer, University of California at Los Angeles. Discussants include Dr. Sheldon Danziger, University of Michigan; Dr. Joseph Hotz, University of Chicago; Dr. Martha Cox, University of North Carolina; Dr. John Modell, Carnegie Mellon University; Dr. William Axinn, Penn State; and Dr. Wayne Osgood, Penn State.
The transition to adulthood takes place in an economic landscape characterized by a widening gap between rich and poor. Downsizing, global competition, and technological change have made jobs scarce in many areas, especially inner cities. Delays in marriage and parenthood are increasingly common. Cohabitation and prolonged residence with parents characterize the life choices of many young adults. How are young people's early family experiences related to the paths they take in early adulthood? What role does adolescent employment play in youths' subsequent development? How do young men and women combine work and close relationships? Who are the winners and losers at this critical life transition? This national symposium brings together a distinguished, interdisciplinary group of scholars from sociology, psychology, demography, human development, criminology, economics, and history to explore these issues.
The conference provides an opportunity for exchange of ideas and investigation of issues related to the very unique situation of today's youth as they attempt to make the transition to adulthood in an era of rapidly changing and sometimes limited economic opportunities for younger, inexperienced workers. The implications of the economic situation for future career development and for family formation will be explored. The conference provides ample opportunity for participation by conference attendees, and offers a unique opportunity for attendees to exchange ideas with the speakers, discussants, and each other.
A special event as part of this conference is a reception and dinner in honor of the Population Research Institute's 25th anniversary. Dr. Wendy Baldwin, deputy director of the National Institutes of Health, will be the featured speaker at this event.
For information on registering for the Conference, please contact Chuck Herd, conference planner, Penn State, at 814-863-1738. If you would like to be added to the mailing list for this and future conferences, please call Kim Zimmerman at 814-865-0486.
NEW EXTERNAL RESEARCH FUNDING AT PRI
Intergenerational Panel Study of Parents and Children
Dr. William G. Axinn, professor of sociology, will be studying the determinants of family formation with emphasis on the influence of several dimensions of the family, socioeconomic and religious experiences, and attitudes of both young people and their parents. The research will explore formation of cohabiting unions, as well as marital unions, and will examine the determinants of non-marital fertility. This research is funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and is part of a cooperative project with Dr. Arland Thornton and Dr. Yu Xie at University of Michigan.
Biodemographic Models of Reproductive Aging
Dr. James W. Wood, professor of anthropology, Dr. Darryl J. Holman, PRI associate, Dr. Phyllis Mansfield, professor of human development and family studies, and Dr. Kathleen O'Connor, NIA postdoctoral trainee at PRI, have received fun ding from the National Institute on Aging to examine the transition to menopause. This five year project will give new insight into the patterns and causes of variation in women's experience of the menopausal transition, and will provide a foundation for future epidemiological studies of the health consequences of patterns of reproductive aging.
Banking, Sequencing, and Haplotyping of Archival Human DNA Samples
Dr. Kenneth Weiss, Distinguished Professor of Anthropology and professor of genetics, has been funded by the National Science Foundation to address various methodological and substantive issues related to the use of archival DNA samples for the Human Genome Diversity Project (HGDP). One of the goals of the study is to demonstrate how HGDP data can be used to guide the study of disease-related phenotypes within and between populations.
Correlates of Specialization and Escalation in the Criminal Career
Dr. Chester L. Britt, assistant professor of sociology, has received funding from the National Institute of Justice to study the relationship between adolescent delinquency and subsequent pathways into adult criminal careers. Dr. Britt's explorations include focus on the ways in which pathways to various types of adult crime are affected by demographic factors, such as poverty and family living arrangements.
Hormones, Family Process and Child Development
Dr. Alan Booth, professor of sociology and human development, Dr. Douglas A. Granger, assistant professor of biobehavioral health and human development, Dr. Ann C. Crouter, professor of human development, Dr. Susan McHale, professor of human development, and Dr. David R. Johnson, University of Nebraska, have received funding from the W.T. Grant Foundation to explore the relationship between hormone production and behavior within the context of the family, with a special emphasis on how the hormone-behavior relationships play out in ways that have implications for child development.
Nuptiality, Mixed Unions, and Fertility in Sub-Saharan Africa
Dr. Sheryl McCurdy, anthropological postdoctoral Fellow at PRI, will be funded by the Mellon Foundation for two years to apply anthropological analysis to study the continued high fertility in sub-Saharan Africa. While numbers of children women bear has remained constant, the reasons for having children and the conditions in marriage arrangements are changing. The analysis will explore the renegotiation of gender roles, kinship ties, and community organization as they apply to fertility decisions.
Industrial Restructuring and Income Inequality in U.S. Counties
Dr. Diane K. McLaughlin, assistant professor of rural sociology, and Dr. Mark D. Handcock, associate professor of statistics and social sciences, have received funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Research Initiative, to examine the influence of industrial restructuring, changing family structure, and variations in labor supply upon household income inequality across U.S. counties in 1980 and 1990 and within U.S. counties from 1980 to 1990. Relative distribution methods will be used to enable the researchers to assess the extent to which incomes are polarizing in local areas.
Trajectories of Poverty and Well-Being among Children
Dr. Michael J. Shanahan, assistant professor of human development and family studies, has been funded by the Northwestern University Joint Center for Poverty Research to study the relationships between poverty and children's well-being. Specifically, the research will explore the dynamic connections between children's poverty experiences and their behavioral and cognitive adjustments and how these connections vary by context, defined in terms of both poverty concentration and urbanicity.
Determinants and Consequences of Young Women's Access to Education in Zaire
Dr. David Shapiro, associate professor of economics and women's studies, has received funding from the Spencer Foundation to examine change over time in women's access to education and its relationship to household well-being, parental education, ethnic group, and sibship size and structure. Analyses will be based in part on primary survey data collected in 1990.
Residential Segregation: Beliefs and Preferences
Dr. Maria Krysan, assistant professor of sociology, will be working on a subcontract from the National Science Foundation. The study aims to investigate the role of individual-level factors in sustaining the racial residential segregation that persists despite changes in federal laws and improvements in the social and economic status of African-Americans. The residential preferences and beliefs of samples of African-Americans, Asians, Latinos and whites across four cities will be analyzed using the Multi-City Study of Urban Inequality data set.
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Crimmins, E.M. and M.D. Hayward (1997). "What Can We Learn about Competence at the Older Ages from Active Life Expectancy?" In S. Willis, K.W. Schaie, and M.D. Hayward (eds.), Social Structural Mechanisms for Maintaining Competence in Old Age. New York, NY: Springer.
Taylor, R.J., L.M. Chatters, R. Jayakody, and J.S. Levin (1996). "Black and White Differences in Religious Participation: A Multisample Comparison." Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 35(4):403-410.
Jacob, S., F.K. Willits, and L. Jensen (1996). "Residualism and Rural America: A Decade Later." Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare 23(3):151-162.
Landale, N.S. (1997). "Immigration and the Family: An Overview." In A. Booth, A.C. Crouter, and N.S. Landale (eds.), Immigration and the Family: Research and Policy on U.S. Immigrants. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Earlbaum Associates.
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Morris, M., C. Podhisita, M.J. Wawer, and M.S. Handcock (1996). "Bridge Populations in the Spread of HIV/AIDS in Thailand." AIDS 10(11):1265-1271.
Shanahan, M.J., G.H. Elder, Jr., and R.A. Miech (1997). "History and Agency in Men's Lives: Pathways to Achievement in Cohort Perspective." Sociology of Education 70(1):54-67.
PRInformation is published twice yearly by the Population Research Institute, Penn State. Please address correspondence to the editor, Tonya Allen, 601 Oswald Tower, Penn State, University Park, PA 16802-4900.
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