Racial/Ethnic Variation in the Relationship Between Educational Assortative Mating and Wives' Income Trajectories.

Prior work has examined the relationship between educational assortative mating and wives' labor market participation but has not assessed how this relationship varies by race/ethnicity. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979, we estimate group-based developmental trajectories to investigate whether the association between educational assortative mating and wives' income trajectories varies by race/ethnicity. The presence, prevalence, and shapes of prototypical long-term income trajectories vary markedly across racial/ethnic groups. Whites are more likely than Blacks and Hispanics to follow income trajectories consistent with a traditional gender division of labor. The association between educational assortative mating is also stronger for Whites than for Blacks and Hispanics. White wives in educationally hypogamous unions make the greatest contribution to the couple's total income, followed by those in homogamous and hypergamous unions. Black and Hispanic wives in hypogamous unions are less likely than their peers in other unions to be secondary earners. These findings underscore the need for studies of the consequences of educational assortative mating to pay closer attention to heterogeneity across and within racial/ethnic groups.

Ageism toward older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: Intergenerational conflict and support.

A cross-national representative survey in Canada and the U.S. examined ageism toward older individuals during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, including ageist consumption stereotypes and perceptions of older people's competence and warmth. We also investigated predictors of ageism, including economic and health threat, social dominance orientation, individualism and collectivism, social distancing beliefs, and demographics. In both countries, younger adults were more likely to hold ageist consumption stereotypes, demonstrating intergenerational conflict about the resources being used by older people. Similarly, young adults provided older people with the lowest competence and warmth scores, though adults of all ages rated older individuals as more warm than competent. Particularly among younger individuals, beliefs about group-based dominance hierarchies, the importance of competition, and the costs of social distancing predicted greater endorsement, whereas beliefs about interdependence and the importance of sacrificing for the collective good predicted lower endorsement of ageist consumption stereotypes. Support for group-based inequality predicted lower perceived competence and warmth of older individuals, whereas beliefs about interdependence and the importance of sacrificing for the collective good predicted higher perceived competence and warmth of older individuals. Implications for policies and practices to reduce intergenerational conflict and ageist perceptions of older individuals are discussed.

Socioeconomic Variation in the Relationship Between Neighbourhoods' Built Environments and the Spread of COVID-19 in Toronto, Canada.

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic underscores the importance of place of residence as a determinant of health. Prior work has primarily examined the relationship between neighbourhoods' sociodemographic traits and COVID-19 infection rates. Using data from the City of Toronto, Canada, we assess how the built environments of neighbourhoods, in conjunction with their sociodemographic profiles, shape the pattern of spread of COVID-19 in low-, middle-, and high-income neighbourhoods. Our results show that COVID-19 spread faster in neighbourhoods with a higher share of overcrowded households, large commercial areas, and poor walkability. The extent to which neighbourhood walkability is associated with a slower increase in COVID-19 infections varied by neighbourhood income level, with a stronger negative association in low-income neighbourhoods. Net of the share of overcrowded households, population density is associated with a faster increase in COVID-19 infections in low-income neighbourhoods, but slower increase in high-income neighbourhoods. More green space is associated with a slower increase in COVID-19 infections in low-income, but not higher-income, neighbourhoods. Overall, our findings suggest that post-pandemic urban planning efforts cannot adopt a one-size-fits-all policy when reconstructing neighbourhoods in ways that promote health and reduce their vulnerability to infectious diseases. Instead, they should tailor the rebuilding process in ways that address the diverse needs of residents in low-, middle-, and high-income neighbourhoods.

Parmi les déterminants de la santé, la récente pandémie de coronavirus (COVID-19) a souligné l'importance du lieu de résidence. Les travaux de recherche antérieurs se sont essentiellement attachés à étudier le lien entre les caractéristiques démographiques des quartiers et les taux d'infection à la COVID-19. En nous appuyant sur les données de la ville de Toronto au Canada, nous avons évalué la façon dont l'environnement bâti des quartiers, de pair avec leurs profils sociodémographiques, pouvait façonner les schémas de propagation de la COVID-19 dans les secteurs à faibles revenus, à revenus moyens et à revenus élevés. Nos résultats montrent que la COVID-19 se propage plus rapidement dans les quartiers à forte proportion de logements surpeuplés, où les grandes zones commerciales sont plus nombreuses et où les potentiels piétonniers sont moindres. Le degré de corrélation entre le potentiel piétonnier et la progression plus lente des cas de contamination à la COVID-19 dépend du niveau de revenu d'un quartier, et cette corrélation s'avère plus fortement négative dès lors que les revenus y sont faibles. Déduction faite de la proportion de logements surpeuplés, la densité de population est corrélée à une progression plus forte des cas de contamination à la COVID-19 dans les secteurs à faibles revenus, et à une propagation plus lente au sein des quartiers à revenus élevés. Dans les secteurs à faibles revenus, la présence d'espaces verts en plus grand nombre est corrélée à une progression plus lente des cas de contamination à la COVID-19, ce qui n'est pas le cas dans les quartiers à revenus élevés. Dans l'ensemble, nos résultats montrent que pour reconstruire les quartiers de manière à promouvoir la santé et réduire la vulnérabilité aux maladies infectieuses, les efforts de planification urbaine postpandémie ne pourront adopter une approche uniformisée. Au contraire, les processus de reconstruction devront être adaptés pour répondre aux différents besoins des résidents de tous les quartiers, quels que soient leurs niveaux de revenus.

Studying the social determinants of COVID-19 in a data vacuum.

Race-based and other demographic information on COVID-19 patients is not being collected consistently across provinces in Canada. Therefore, whether the burden of COVID-19 is falling disproportionately on the shoulders of particular demographic groups is relatively unknown. In this article, we first provide an overview of the available geographic and demographic data related to COVID-19. We then make creative use of these existing data to fill the vacuum and identify key demographic risk factors for COVID-19 across Canada's health regions. Drawing on COVID-19 counts and tabular census data, we examine the association between communities' demographic composition and the number of COVID-19 infections. COVID-19 infections are higher in communities with larger shares of Black and low-income residents. Our approach offers a way for researchers and policymakers to use existing data to identify communities nationwide that are vulnerable to the pandemic in the absence of more detailed demographic and more granular geographic data.

Les renseignements fondés sur la race et d'autres données démographiques sur les patients atteints du COVID-19 ne sont pas recueillis de manière uniforme dans toutes les provinces du Canada. Par conséquent, si le fardeau du COVID-19 tombe de manière disproportionnée sur les épaules de groupes démographiques particuliers est relativement inconnu. Dans cet article, nous fournissons d'abord un aperçu des données géographiques et démographiques disponibles liées au COVID-19. Nous utilisons ensuite de manière créative ces données existantes pour combler le vide et identifier les principaux facteurs de risque démographiques du COVID-19 dans les régions sociosanitaires du Canada. En nous basant sur les dénombrements de COVID-19 et les données tabulaires du recensement, nous examinons l'association entre la composition démographique des communautés et le nombre d'infections au COVID-19. Les infections au COVID-19 sont plus élevées dans les communautés avec une plus grande proportion de résidents Noirs et à faible revenu. Notre approche offre aux chercheurs et aux décideurs un moyen d'utiliser les données existantes pour identifier les communautés à l'échelle nationale qui sont vulnérables à la pandémie en l'absence de données démographiques plus détaillées et géographiques plus granulaires.

Mental health and economic concerns from March to May during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada: Insights from an analysis of repeated cross-sectional surveys.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the psychological wellbeing of populations worldwide. In this study, we assess changes in mental health during the early months of the pandemic in Canada and examine its relationship with another prominent problem during this time, economic concerns. METHODS: Analyses were based on two cycles of the nationally representative repeated cross-sectional Canadian Perspectives Survey Series (N=4627 in March and 4600 in May). We described the changes in mental health and economic concerns between March and May, and assessed the relationship between the two characteristics. RESULTS: Mental health declined significantly during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic: the proportion of Canadian adults who reported only good/fair/poor mental health grew from 46% to 52% from March to May. Economic concerns including food insecurity were an important correlate of 'bad' mental health, as was younger age, female gender, and Canada-born status. Contrary to expectations, however, economic concerns lessened during this time frame. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that policies to mitigate economic stress, such as Canada's Emergency Response Benefit, may have eased mental health deterioration in early pandemic months through a reduction in financial hardship. Interventions to increase the economic security of the population will have far-reaching consequences in terms of improved mental health, and should be continued throughout the pandemic.

Changes in health behaviours during early COVID-19 and socio-demographic disparities: a cross-sectional analysis.

OBJECTIVES: The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly disrupted daily life in Canada. This study assesses changes in health behaviours during the early stages of the pandemic and examines socio-demographic disparities associated with these changes. METHODS: We analyze data on adults age 25 and older (N = 4383) from the public-use Canadian Perspectives Survey Series 1: Impacts of COVID-19 (CPSS-COVID). Multinomial regression models assess the association between demographic and socio-economic characteristics with increases or decreases in six health behaviours: alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis use, junk food consumption, and TV and internet screen time. RESULTS: While findings varied across the six behaviours, overall, there was an increase in negative health behaviours: 14% of Canadian adults reported increasing their alcohol use (95% CI = 0.12, 0.15), 25% increased their junk food consumption (95% CI = 0.23, 0.27), and over 60% increased their screen time (62%, 95% CI = 0.60, 0.65 for TV and 66%, 95% CI = 0.63, 0.68 for internet). Younger and Canada-born adults were more likely to increase negative health behaviours than older and immigrant Canadians. Adults who reported financial impact of COVID-19 were more likely to increase all negative health behaviours (e.g., for increased junk food consumption, the relative risk ratio (RRR) = 1.81, 95% CI = 1.49, 2.20 relative to group reporting no impact). CONCLUSION: Our study documents the overall deterioration of health behaviours during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. To minimize long-term harm to the Canadian population's health, the results highlight the need to tailor interventions, especially for younger Canadians, and the importance of mitigating financial impacts, which are linked to negative changes in health behaviours.

RéSUMé: OBJECTIFS: La pandémie de COVID-19 perturbe profondément la vie quotidienne au Canada. Notre étude évalue les changements survenus dans les comportements de santé aux premiers stades de la pandémie et examine les disparités sociodémographiques associées à ces changements. MéTHODE: Nous analysons les données sur les adultes de 25 ans et plus (N = 4 383) tirées de la Série d'enquêtes sur les perspectives canadiennes 1 : Répercussions de la COVID-19 (SEPC-COVID) d'usage public. Des modèles de régression multinomiale permettent d'évaluer l'association entre les caractéristiques démographiques et socioéconomiques et les augmentations ou les diminutions de six comportements de santé : usage de l'alcool, du tabac et du cannabis, consommation d'aliments vides et temps passé devant la télévision et sur Internet. RéSULTATS: Nos constatations varient entre ces six comportements, mais dans l'ensemble, il y a eu une augmentation des comportements de santé négatifs : 14 % des Canadiens adultes ont dit avoir accru leur usage de l'alcool (IC de 95 % = 0,12, 0,15), 25 % ont accru leur consommation d'aliments vides (IC de 95 % = 0,23, 0,27), et plus de 60 % ont accru leur temps d'écran (62 %, IC de 95 % = 0,60, 0,65 pour la télévision et 66 %, IC de 95 % = 0,63, 0,68 pour Internet). Les jeunes adultes et les adultes nés au Canada étaient plus susceptibles d'avoir accru leurs comportements de santé négatifs que les adultes âgés et ceux ayant immigré au Canada. Les adultes ayant dit subir des contrecoups financiers de la COVID-19 étaient plus susceptibles d'avoir accru tous leurs comportements de santé négatifs (p. ex., pour la consommation accrue d'aliments vides, le rapport de risque relatif [RRR] = 1,81, IC de 95 % = 1,49, 2,20, comparativement au groupe n'ayant pas subi de contrecoups financiers). CONCLUSION: Notre étude décrit la détérioration globale des comportements de santé aux premiers stades de la pandémie de COVID-19. Pour réduire les torts que cela peut causer à long terme à la santé de la population canadienne, il faut, selon les résultats, adapter les interventions, surtout aux jeunes Canadiens, et atténuer les contrecoups financiers de la pandémie, qui sont liés à des changements négatifs dans les comportements de santé.

Trajectories through postsecondary education and students' life course transitions.

Today's college students travel increasingly heterogeneous pathways through their postsecondary education by delaying the transition from high school to college, attending part-time, and enrolling in multiple institutions. Variation in how students move through college is important to concerns about stratification since non-normative pathways are disproportionately distributed among student subgroups and can have negative consequences for degree attainment and other later-in-life outcomes. In this article, I capitalize on detailed postsecondary transcript data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 to infer group-based developmental trajectories of students' college credit completion over the first ten years since leaving high school. These trajectories offer a more comprehensive understanding of students' long-term pathways of college credit completion in life course perspective, the role played by students' socioeconomic and prior academic backgrounds in allocating them to those pathways, and how transitions to other adult social roles (spouse, parent, and worker) differentially shape those pathways.

What do government unions do? Public sector unions and nonunion wages, 1977-2015.

In this article we investigate the connection between public sector union memberships and nonunion worker pay. We leverage nearly four decades of Current Population Survey (CPS) data on millions of U.S. workers to test whether public sector union density, measured at the state-level, is associated with higher average wages among unorganized workers. We find stable and substantively large positive effects of state-level public sector union strength on nonunion public sector workers' wages. These results are robust to the inclusion of a range of state-level controls, including GDP, average educational attainment, public sector size, and the strength of private sector unions. Analyses of public sector unions and nonunion private sector pay reveal a robust positive relationship - but one limited to women, revealing how occupational segregation interacts with pay-setting institutions to influence wage outcomes.

Back to School: Racial and Gender Differences in Adults' Participation in Formal Schooling, 1978-2013.

Trends and gaps in educational attainment by race and gender have received much attention in recent years, but reports of these trends have generally focused on traditional-age college students. Little is known about whether and how enrollment in formal schooling among older adults (between 29 and 61 years old) has changed over time. In this article, I draw on Current Population Survey data from 1978 to 2013 to provide the most comprehensive analysis of trends in adults' formal school enrollment by demographic group to date. Results indicate that adult black women in particular have seen relatively high growth rates in their enrollment. Black women were 85 % more likely to enroll in 2011 and 46 % more likely in 2013 than they were in 1978. Their growing advantage relative to other racial-gender groups owes largely to their increasing educational attainment rates overall, given the relationship between prior schooling and enrollment later in life. Taken together, this article's findings suggest that adult enrollment is at once equalizing and disequalizing. On the one hand, it has the potential to narrow the gaps between those with some college experience and those with a four-year degree. On the other hand, patterns of adults' participation in formal education are widening educational gaps between those with and without traditional-age college experience.

Does it pay to attend a for-profit college? Vertical and horizontal stratification in higher education.

Despite the recent growth of for-profit colleges, scholars are only beginning to understand the labor market consequences of attending these institutions. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997, I find that for-profit associate's degree holders encounter lower hourly earnings than associate's degree holders educated at public or private, nonprofit colleges, and earnings that are not significantly different than high school graduates. However, individuals who complete a bachelor's degree by attending college in either the for-profit or nonprofit sectors encounter positive returns. These findings, robust to model selection, suggest that the distinction between for-profit and nonprofit colleges constitutes an important axis in the horizontal dimension of education at the sub-baccalaureate level, and complicate notions of vertical stratification such that higher levels of educational attainment do not necessarily guarantee a wage premium.