The Composition of Schools, Social Status, and Adolescent Relationship Formation

Authors

Lindsey Wilkinson, Portland State UniversityFollow
R. Kelly Raley, University of Texas at Austin

Sponsor

This research was funded by a grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development under grant R01 HD40428-02 to the Population Research Center, University of Texas at Austin; Chandra Muller (PI) and uses data from Add Health, a program project designed by J. Richard Udry, Peter S. Bearman, and Kathleen Mullan Harris, and funded by a grant P01-HD31921 from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, with cooperative funding from 17 other agencies.

Document Type

Presentation

Publication Date

2004

Subjects

Social learning -- United States, Social networks -- Sociological aspects, Relationships in adolescence -- Effect of school composition on, Social status

Abstract

Previous research on adults shows that blacks marry later than whites, and research on adolescents suggests that blacks delay dating (but not sex) until later ages. We hypothesize that the social factors that delay black relationship formation in adulthood are evident in adolescence. This research uses data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health to investigate the relationship between the social context of schools and adolescent romantic and sexual relationships. Preliminary results show that black adolescents are much more likely to have had a nonromantic sexual relationship, and black girls are more likely to have relationships with someone outside their school. Analyses also show that adolescents who are less popular, have lower grades, and participate less in school activities are less likely to have a relationship, particularly a relationship with another adolescent who attends the same school.

Description

Text of a paper presented to the annual meeting of the Population Association of America, Boston, MA., in 2004.

Persistent Identifier

http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/19399

Citation Details

Wilkinson, Lindsey and Raley, R. Kelly, "The Composition of Schools, Social Status, and Adolescent Relationship Formation" (2004). Sociology Faculty Publications and Presentations. 52.
http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/19399