Table 4.
OLS Regression Estimates Relating Uncertain Aspirations at Age 16 and 26 to Hourly Wages at Age 26
| Variables | Women | Men | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| ||||
| b | t-ratio | b | t-ratio | |
| Occupational Ambitions (Age 16) | ||||
| Uncertain (vs. Professional job) | −.023 | −1.96* | −.042 | −2.79** |
| Multiple Occupations | −.037 | −1.54 | −.069 | −1.69 |
| Non-Professional Job | −.027 | −2.83** | −.001 | −.14 |
| Not to Work | −.044 | −2.09* | −.053 | −1.01 |
| Refusal | −.018 | −.56 | .008 | .33 |
| Background Factors (age 14) | ||||
| Parent(s) Education | −.006 | −1.62 | −.008 | −1.53 |
| Family Income | .011 | 5.55*** | .014 | 5.32*** |
| Parent(s) Educational Expectations | .003 | 1.72 | .000 | .16 |
| Black (vs. white) | .010 | .53 | −.046 | −2.60** |
| Hispanic | .051 | 3.89*** | −.005 | −.28 |
| Asian | .040 | 2.24* | .036 | 2.21* |
| American Indian | −.027 | −1.15 | −.003 | −.08 |
| Single Parent (vs. 2-parent) | .004 | .41 | .020 | 1.78 |
| Academic Behaviors (age 16) | ||||
| Academic Ability | .017 | 2.19* | .003 | .40 |
| Teacher-rated effort | −.006 | −2.57* | .001 | .20 |
| Educational Attainment (age 26) | ||||
| < High School (vs. high school/GED) | −.060 | −2.80** | −.056 | −1.74 |
| Some College | .026 | 1.96* | −.013 | −1.07 |
| Vocational/Technical | .031 | 2.06* | −.019 | −.91 |
| Associates | .021 | .99 | .008 | .47 |
| Baccalaureate | .107 | 7.83*** | .048 | 3.17** |
| Masters, Ph.D., or Professional | .185 | 9.14*** | .133 | 5.57*** |
| Current Student Status | −.021 | −2.36* | −.046 | −3.70*** |
| Work Experience and Current Job Hours (age 26) | ||||
| Employed 6+mo. in past 2yrs (vs. < 6 mo.) | .050 | 3.00** | .074 | 4.07*** |
| Employed 50+wks in past yr (vs. < 50 wks.) | .069 | 8.49*** | .041 | 3.79*** |
| Part-time hrs in current job (vs. full-time) | .017 | 1.51 | .016 | .63 |
| Professional job (vs. non-professional) | .068 | 5.00*** | .075 | 5.01*** |
| Family Roles (age 26) | ||||
| Reside in parental home (vs. not w/parents) | −.029 | −2.61** | −.059 | −3.17** |
| Married (vs. Single) | .004 | .50 | .015 | 1.37 |
| Cohabiting | −.019 | −.49 | .002 | .08 |
| Separated, Divorced, or Widowed | .042 | 2.36* | −.006 | −.25 |
| One Child (vs. none) | −.024 | −1.99* | −.005 | −.34 |
| Two Children | −.031 | −2.18* | −.008 | −.49 |
| Three or more children | −.061 | −3.30*** | .005 | .13 |
| Occupational Ambitions (Age 26) | ||||
| Uncertain (vs. other) | −.046 | −4.14*** | −.046 | −3.74*** |
| Intercept | .810 | .909 | ||
|
| ||||
| Sample Size | 4,515 | 4,352 | ||
| R2 (ranging across the five datasets) | .255 to .260 | .143 to .147 | ||
Note.
*
p < .05,
**
p < .01,
***
p < .001