Table 4.

Descriptive Information on NLSY79 Women by Education at Time of First Birth, Comparing Between Women Who Returned to School to Earn Additional Education to Those Who Did Not (N= 4,925)

	Education at First Child’s Birth
	Less than High School		High School Degree/GED		Associate’s degree
	No Additional Education	Additional Education	No Additional Education	Additional Education	No Additional Education	Additional Education
Mother Background Characteristics
White	56%	69%***	81%	75%*	83%	84%
Black	30%	21%***	13%	19%+	11%	11%
Hispanic	14%	10%*	6%	6%	6%	5%
Foreign born	8%	6%	5%	3%+	2%	2%
Foreign language	20%	17%	12%	13%	12%	12%
Foreign born parent	13%	11%	8%	6%+	10%	10%
Lived with single mother	39%	43%	24%	33%*	18%	16%
Family received welfare	27%	21%*	8%	7%	3%	1%+
Urban area (1979)	79%	76%	78%	78%	80%	87%
Proportion of school poor	30%	27%	21%	20%	17%	15%
Father less than high school	64%	56%+	42%	35%*	26%	23%
Father high school degree	29%	33%	41%	38%	36%	39%
Father some college	4%	7%	9%	9%	18%	25%*
Father Bachelor’s degree	4%	4%	8%	18%*	22%	12%
Mother less than high school	67%	61%	38%	38%*	23%	10%**
Mother high school degree	28%	33%	50%	53%	50%	61%
Mother some college	4%	4%	8%	10%	20%	19%
Mother Bachelor’s degree	2%	2%	4%	9%*	7%	10%
Number of siblings	4.52 (.14)	4.06* (.14)	3.51 (.06)	3.59 (.15)	3.20 (.14)	2.90 (.35)
Other Characteristics at First Birth
Divorced/widowed	6%	5%	5%	3%	5%	7%
Never married	56%	50%	21%	33%***	11%	8%
Poverty	60%	54%	20%	20%	6%	8%
Employed	15%	13%	40%	39%	51%	57%
Age	18.23 (.19)	18.24 (.17)	24.16 (.13)	22.88*** (.26)	28.06 (.37)	26.67* (.47)
Weighted % within degree	58%	43%	85%	15%	87%	13%
Raw n’s of total sample	664	391	1,798	306	210	32

Notes: Significant differences between pre-fertility and post-fertility group within each education strata indicated in post-fertility column. Standard errors presented in parenthesis. Estimates based on weighted sample.

^***p<.001,

^**p<.01,

^*p<.05,

⁺p<.10.