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Household Headship Among Unmarried Mothers in Six Latin American Gountries

Universly of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, U.S.A.

Kerry Richter

Universly of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, U.S.A.

This paper describes and explores the relationship of several life-course and development- related factors with household headship among unmarried women 15-49 years of age with a child under the age of 15 in six Latin American countries: Mexico, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Panama, Colombia, and Peru. We argue that, in contrast to the apparent situation in the U.S., a majority of unmarried women in these countries live as subfamilies in someone else's household.

Life-course factors were important determinants of household headship. Urban residence and migration status were also significant determinants. In contrast to speculations however, socioeconomic status, as indicated by educational attainment, was not related to headship, either bivariately or once life-course factors were controlled. We conclude that life-course and residence/migration factors need to be accounted for, even if an analyst's focus is mainly economic.

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				S. Devos and E. Arias Female Headship, Marital Status and Material Well-Being: Colombia 1985 International Journal of Comparative Sociology, June 1, 1998; 39(2): 177 - 197. [Abstract] [PDF]