Rachel Dunifon
Biographic Data
| ID | 120988 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Rachel Dunifon |
| GIVEN NAMES | Rachel |
| FAMILY NAME | Dunifon |
| SIGNATURE | DUNIFON R |
| AFFILIATIONS | Cornell University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-9751-6198 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 39 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 531 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 39 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1998 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 15 |
Grandchildren's spatial proximity to grandparents and intergenerational support in the United States
Results 4.1How close do grandchildren live to grandparents?4.2In which types of families do grandchildren and grandparents live very close to one another? 4.3When grandchildren and grandparents live close to one another, are they also more likely to transfer time and money
Why mothers double up: The role of demographic, economic, and family characteristics
Objective We examine how mothers' characteristics are associated with forming a doubled‐up household as a host (allowing adult extended family members/nonrelatives to join their household) and guest (moving into a home owned/rented by extended family/nonrelatives). Background Doubled‐up households are increasingly common and shape families' lives in meaningful ways. Although doubling up is often considered a response to economic need, few studies…
Under Whose Roof? Understanding the Living Arrangements of Children in Doubled-Up Households
A growing literature in family demography examines children's residence in doubled-up (shared) households with extended family members and nonkin. This research has largely overlooked the role of doubling up as a housing strategy, with “hosts” (householders) providing housing support for “guests” living in their home. Yet, understanding children's experiences in doubled-up households requires attention to host/guest status. Using the American Com…
Historical Trends in Children Living in Multigenerational Households in the United States: 1870–2018
Over the last two decades, the share of U.S. children under age 18 who live in a multigenerational household (with a grandparent and parent) has increased dramatically. Yet we do not know whether this increase is a recent phenomenon or a return to earlier levels of coresidence. Using data from the decennial census from 1870 to 2010 and the 2018 American Community Survey, we examine historical trends in children’s multigenerational living arrangem…
Time with Grandchildren: Subjective Well-Being Among Grandparents Living with Their Grandchildren
Backup Parents, Playmates, Friends: Grandparents' Time With Grandchildren
Grandparents play varied roles in their grandchildren's lives. Prior work has focused mostly on historical trends in and implications of grandparent coresidence and has not considered more broadly how grandparents and grandchildren interact. Using time-use diary data for 6,762 person-years from the 1997 to 2007 waves of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics Child Development Survey, the authors examine patterns in the amount and activity composition…
A developmental perspective on the link between parents’ employment and children’s obesity
Despite public concerns about the negative implications of the increased labor force participation of mothers for child development, decades of research have revealed few risks and some benefits. One potential risk-a consistently observed association between maternal employment and childhood obesity-offers a window into how some dimensions of family health may be undermined by work in an economic and policy context that is not family friendly. Th…
The magnitude and timing of grandparental coresidence during childhood in the United States
The likelihood that a US child will live with a grandparent has increased over time. In 2015, nearly 12% of children lived with a grandparent. However, the likelihood that a child will ever live with a grandparent is not known
Siblings and children's time use in the United States
Eighty-two percent of children under age 18 live with at least one sibling, and the sibling relationship is typically the longest-lasting family relationship in an individual's life. Nevertheless, siblings remain understudied in the family demography liter
Nonstandard Work Schedules and Private Safety Nets Among Working Mothers
Although the implications of nonstandard work schedules (work outside of the typical 9 - 5, Monday - Friday schedule) for individuals and families are increasingly well understood, it is unclear how such schedules are associated with perceived social support for working mothers. Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study and a variety of methodological approaches, we found mixed evidence for this relationship. Results from ord…
Mothering Experiences: How Single Parenthood and Employment Structure the Emotional Valence of Parenting
Research studies and popular accounts of parenting have documented the joys and strains of raising children. Much of the literature comparing parents with those without children indicates a happiness advantage for those without children, although recent studies have unpacked this general advantage to reveal differences by the dimension of well-being considered and important features in parents' lives and parenting experiences. We use unique data …
Understanding Grandfamilies: Characteristics of Grandparents, Nonresident Parents, and Children
Using data from the Year 9 Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N ∼ 3,182), we investigated the characteristics grandfamilies (grandparents raising their grandchildren with no parent present, N = 84) and compared them to other key groups, including children's nonresident parents and other economically disadvantaged families with children. Results show that grandparents raising their grandchildren were generally better off in terms of educa…
Better for Baby? The Retreat From Mid-Pregnancy Marriage and Implications for Parenting and Child Well-being
Recent decades have seen a significant decline in mid-pregnancy (“shotgun”) marriage, particularly among disadvantaged groups, which has contributed to increasing nonmarital birth rates. Despite public and political concern about this shift, the implications for parenting and child well-being are not known. Drawing on a sample of U.S. black and white mothers with nonmarital conceptions from the NLSY79, our study fills this gap. Using propensity s…
Child-Care Subsidies and Family Well-Being
Many low-income families receive child-care subsidies, and a small but growing literature examines the relationship between subsidies and family well-being. Some studies find a negative association between subsidy receipt and family well-being, raising questions about the processes that mediate the two. Drawing on a subsample of 1,189 subsidy recipients and eligible mothers from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, we investigate the r…
Grandparent Coresidence and Family Well-Being: Implications for Research and Policy
U.S. children today have increasingly diverse living arrangements. In 2012, 10 percent of children lived with at least one grandparent; 8 percent lived in three-generational households, consisting of a parent and a grandparent; while 2 percent lived with a grandparent and no parent in the household. This article reviews the literature on grandparent coresidence and presents new research on children coresiding with grandparents in modern families.…
Work Hours, Schedules, and Insufficient Sleep Among Mothers and Their Young Children
Studies have linked parents' employment, work hours, and work schedules to their own sleep quality and quantity, but it is unclear whether these associations extend to children. The authors used data from the 5-year in-home survey of the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N = 1,818) to examine the associations between maternal work hours and schedule and insufficient sleep among disadvantaged mothers and their young children. They found …
The Influence of Grandparents on the Lives of Children and Adolescents
Recent trends such as increased life expectancy, decreases in family size, and the rise of both single-parent families and maternal employment increase the potential for grandparents to play important roles in the lives of their grandchildren. In this article, I review recent research and discuss directions for research on grandparents' influence on the lives of children and adolescents. I consider the role of nonresidential grandparents in child…
Mothers’ night work and children’s behavior problems
Many mothers work in jobs with nonstandard schedules (i.e., schedules that involve work outside of the traditional 9-5, Monday through Friday schedule); this is particularly true for economically disadvantaged mothers. In the present article, we used longitudinal data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Survey (n = 2,367 mothers of children ages 3-5 years) to examine the associations between maternal nonstandard work and children's beha…
Parental employment and children's body weight: Mothers, others, and mechanisms
Measuring Maternal Nonstandard Work in Survey Data
Surveys differ in the measurement of nonstandard work, such that some surveys require respondents to indicate whether they work either a standard or a nonstandard schedule, whereas others allow respondents to indicate that they work both types of schedules. We test whether these measurement decisions influence the estimated prevalence of maternal nonstandard work, using data from two sources: the Current Population Survey (N = 1,430) and the Frag…
Employment Patterns of Less-Skilled Workers: Links to Children’s Behavior and Academic Progress
Using data from five waves of the Women’s Employment Survey (WES; 1997–2003), we examine the links between low-income mothers’ employment patterns and the emotional behavior and academic progress of their children. We find robust and substantively important linkages between several different dimensions of mothers’ employment experiences and child outcomes. The pattern of results is similar across empirical approaches—including ordinary least squa…
The Role of Grandparents in the Lives of Youth
Recent demographic trends suggest that grandparents may play influential roles in the lives of their grandchildren. Despite this, the role of grandparents in the lives of youth remains an understudied topic. Using data from a nationally representative group of youth aged 14 to 19 years from the 1992 Wave 2 National Survey of Families and Households, this study seeks to better understand the role of grandparents in the lives of grandchildren by ex…
State Welfare Policies and Children’s Living Arrangements
Changes in welfare legislation throughout the 1990s attempted, among other things, to promote marriage and decrease single parenthood. However, little research considers how such policies influence children’s living arrangements. This article uses data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation to relate welfare reform policies to the likelihood that children live in one of three living arrangements: with married parents, with a single p…
Family economic well-being following the 1996 welfare reform: Trend data from five non-experimental panel studies
Maternal work and welfare use and child well-being: Evidence from 6 years of data from the Women's Employment Study
The Influence of Grandparents in Single-Mother Families
This article examines whether children living with single mothers benefit when they also live with a grandparent, using data from the 1979 to 2002 waves of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth merged mother-child file (N = 6,501). Results indicate that for White children, living with a single mother and a grandparent is associated with increased cognitive stimulation and higher reading recognition scores, compared to living with a single mot…
Maternal Working Conditions and Child Well-Being in Welfare-Leaving Families
In the wake of welfare reform, thousands of low-income single mothers have transitioned into the labor market. In this article, the authors examine how the work conditions of mothers leaving welfare for employment are associated with the emotional well-being of 372 children ages 5 to 15 years. The authors examine the cumulative incidence, over a 5-year period, of maternal non-family-friendly work conditions, including long work hours, erratic wor…
Grandparent Coresidence and Family Well-Being: Implications for Research and Policy
U.S. children today have increasingly diverse living arrangements. In 2012, 10 percent of children lived with at least one grandparent; 8 percent lived in three-generational households, consisting of a parent and a grandparent; while 2 percent lived with a grandparent and no parent in the household. This article reviews the literature on grandparent coresidence and presents new research on children coresiding with grandparents in modern families.…
Employment Patterns of Less-Skilled Workers: Links to Children’s Behavior and Academic Progress
Using data from five waves of the Women’s Employment Survey (WES; 1997–2003), we examine the links between low-income mothers’ employment patterns and the emotional behavior and academic progress of their children. We find robust and substantively important linkages between several different dimensions of mothers’ employment experiences and child outcomes. The pattern of results is similar across empirical approaches—including ordinary least squa…
Mothering Experiences: How Single Parenthood and Employment Structure the Emotional Valence of Parenting
Research studies and popular accounts of parenting have documented the joys and strains of raising children. Much of the literature comparing parents with those without children indicates a happiness advantage for those without children, although recent studies have unpacked this general advantage to reveal differences by the dimension of well-being considered and important features in parents' lives and parenting experiences. We use unique data …
Mothers’ night work and children’s behavior problems
Many mothers work in jobs with nonstandard schedules (i.e., schedules that involve work outside of the traditional 9-5, Monday through Friday schedule); this is particularly true for economically disadvantaged mothers. In the present article, we used longitudinal data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Survey (n = 2,367 mothers of children ages 3-5 years) to examine the associations between maternal nonstandard work and children's beha…
The Influences of Participation in the National School Lunch Program and Food Insecurity on Child Well‐Being
This study examines two research questions: the child‐ and family‐specific factors that predict food insecurity and participation in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the effects on school‐age children of food insecurity and participating in the NSLP. Results show that factors representing families’ economic status are significantly associated with food insecurity and that a broader range of cultural and attitudinal factors predicts pa…
State-level predictors of food insecurity among households with children
This article examines interstate variation in household food security. Using hierarchical modeling, we identify several kinds of state characteristics that appear linked to household food security: the availability and accessibility of federal nutrition assistance programs, policies affecting economic wellbeing of low income families, and states' economic and social characteristics. These dimensions comprise what we refer to as the state food sec…
Backup Parents, Playmates, Friends: Grandparents' Time With Grandchildren
Grandparents play varied roles in their grandchildren's lives. Prior work has focused mostly on historical trends in and implications of grandparent coresidence and has not considered more broadly how grandparents and grandchildren interact. Using time-use diary data for 6,762 person-years from the 1997 to 2007 waves of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics Child Development Survey, the authors examine patterns in the amount and activity composition…
The magnitude and timing of grandparental coresidence during childhood in the United States
The likelihood that a US child will live with a grandparent has increased over time. In 2015, nearly 12% of children lived with a grandparent. However, the likelihood that a child will ever live with a grandparent is not known
The Role of Grandparents in the Lives of Youth
Recent demographic trends suggest that grandparents may play influential roles in the lives of their grandchildren. Despite this, the role of grandparents in the lives of youth remains an understudied topic. Using data from a nationally representative group of youth aged 14 to 19 years from the 1992 Wave 2 National Survey of Families and Households, this study seeks to better understand the role of grandparents in the lives of grandchildren by ex…
Historical Trends in Children Living in Multigenerational Households in the United States: 1870–2018
Over the last two decades, the share of U.S. children under age 18 who live in a multigenerational household (with a grandparent and parent) has increased dramatically. Yet we do not know whether this increase is a recent phenomenon or a return to earlier levels of coresidence. Using data from the decennial census from 1870 to 2010 and the 2018 American Community Survey, we examine historical trends in children’s multigenerational living arrangem…
Understanding Grandfamilies: Characteristics of Grandparents, Nonresident Parents, and Children
Using data from the Year 9 Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N ∼ 3,182), we investigated the characteristics grandfamilies (grandparents raising their grandchildren with no parent present, N = 84) and compared them to other key groups, including children's nonresident parents and other economically disadvantaged families with children. Results show that grandparents raising their grandchildren were generally better off in terms of educa…
Maternal Work Behavior under Welfare Reform: How does the Transition from Welfare to Work Affect Child Development
Under Whose Roof? Understanding the Living Arrangements of Children in Doubled-Up Households
A growing literature in family demography examines children's residence in doubled-up (shared) households with extended family members and nonkin. This research has largely overlooked the role of doubling up as a housing strategy, with “hosts” (householders) providing housing support for “guests” living in their home. Yet, understanding children's experiences in doubled-up households requires attention to host/guest status. Using the American Com…
Siblings and children's time use in the United States
Eighty-two percent of children under age 18 live with at least one sibling, and the sibling relationship is typically the longest-lasting family relationship in an individual's life. Nevertheless, siblings remain understudied in the family demography liter
Parental employment and children's body weight: Mothers, others, and mechanisms
Long-Run Effects of Motivation on Labor-Market Success
We examine the relationship between motivation and labor-market success using a sample from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID). We relate social psychological traits and other characteristics observed in men age 21-29 to labor-market attainments measured 15 to 25 years later. In contrast to most previous work with these and similar national survey data, we find that earnings are affected strongly both by an orientation toward challenge, an…
Time with Grandchildren: Subjective Well-Being Among Grandparents Living with Their Grandchildren
Child-Care Subsidies and Family Well-Being
Many low-income families receive child-care subsidies, and a small but growing literature examines the relationship between subsidies and family well-being. Some studies find a negative association between subsidy receipt and family well-being, raising questions about the processes that mediate the two. Drawing on a subsample of 1,189 subsidy recipients and eligible mothers from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, we investigate the r…
Work Hours, Schedules, and Insufficient Sleep Among Mothers and Their Young Children
Studies have linked parents' employment, work hours, and work schedules to their own sleep quality and quantity, but it is unclear whether these associations extend to children. The authors used data from the 5-year in-home survey of the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N = 1,818) to examine the associations between maternal work hours and schedule and insufficient sleep among disadvantaged mothers and their young children. They found …
Family Structure and Community Context: Evaluating Influences on Adolescent Outcomes
Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth merged mother-child file, this article examines the relationship between living in four different family structures on key measures of youth well-being, studied separately by race. The authors also examine whether contextual factors mediate these associations. For Black youth, we find no effects of family structure on youth well-being; however, community context measures are associated wit…
Nonstandard Work Schedules and Private Safety Nets Among Working Mothers
Although the implications of nonstandard work schedules (work outside of the typical 9 - 5, Monday - Friday schedule) for individuals and families are increasingly well understood, it is unclear how such schedules are associated with perceived social support for working mothers. Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study and a variety of methodological approaches, we found mixed evidence for this relationship. Results from ord…
Better for Baby? The Retreat From Mid-Pregnancy Marriage and Implications for Parenting and Child Well-being
Recent decades have seen a significant decline in mid-pregnancy (“shotgun”) marriage, particularly among disadvantaged groups, which has contributed to increasing nonmarital birth rates. Despite public and political concern about this shift, the implications for parenting and child well-being are not known. Drawing on a sample of U.S. black and white mothers with nonmarital conceptions from the NLSY79, our study fills this gap. Using propensity s…
Family economic well-being following the 1996 welfare reform: Trend data from five non-experimental panel studies
Long-Run Effects of Motivation on Labor-Market Success
We examine the relationship between motivation and labor-market success using a sample from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID). We relate social psychological traits and other characteristics observed in men age 21-29 to labor-market attainments measured 15 to 25 years later. In contrast to most previous work with these and similar national survey data, we find that earnings are affected strongly both by an orientation toward challenge, an…
Who’s in the House? Race Differences in Cohabitation, Single Parenthood, and Child Development
This study examined four questions: (1) How does family structure (specifically, single parenthood, married parent, and cohabitating parent) affect children’s delinquency and math test scores? (2) Do these effects differ by race? (3) Do parenting practices mediate the links between family structure and children’s outcomes? and (4) Does this mediation differ by race? Unlike some previous work in this area, the present study distinguished between t…
Maternal Work Behavior under Welfare Reform: How does the Transition from Welfare to Work Affect Child Development
The Influences of Participation in the National School Lunch Program and Food Insecurity on Child Well‐Being
This study examines two research questions: the child‐ and family‐specific factors that predict food insecurity and participation in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the effects on school‐age children of food insecurity and participating in the NSLP. Results show that factors representing families’ economic status are significantly associated with food insecurity and that a broader range of cultural and attitudinal factors predicts pa…
Children's Home Environments: Understanding the Role of Family Structure Changes
Using data from the 1996 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY79) merged mother-child sample, we investigate the impact of two family events, parental divorce and the birth of a sibling, on the cognitive stimulation and emotional support provided to children in the home. We use fixed-effect regression techniques to control for unmeasured mother- and child-specific characteristics and measure responses to these family changes before, during,…
Maternal Working Conditions and Child Well-Being in Welfare-Leaving Families
In the wake of welfare reform, thousands of low-income single mothers have transitioned into the labor market. In this article, the authors examine how the work conditions of mothers leaving welfare for employment are associated with the emotional well-being of 372 children ages 5 to 15 years. The authors examine the cumulative incidence, over a 5-year period, of maternal non-family-friendly work conditions, including long work hours, erratic wor…
Special Reviewers
The labor-market effects of an anti-poverty program: Results From Hierarchical Linear Modeling
State-level predictors of food insecurity among households with children
This article examines interstate variation in household food security. Using hierarchical modeling, we identify several kinds of state characteristics that appear linked to household food security: the availability and accessibility of federal nutrition assistance programs, policies affecting economic wellbeing of low income families, and states' economic and social characteristics. These dimensions comprise what we refer to as the state food sec…
Welfare reform and child well-being
Community contributions to scholastic success
The authors examine the influence of neighborhood characteristics on the academic outcomes of children in middle childhood. Prior research has examined structural features of the community and has evaluated their associations with youth outcomes (Brooks-Gunn, Duncan, Klebanov, & Sealand, 1993; Kowaleski-Jones, 2000). Other research has related perceptions of community environment to youth development (Aneshensel & Sucoff, 1996). This work seeks t…
Family Structure and Community Context: Evaluating Influences on Adolescent Outcomes
Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth merged mother-child file, this article examines the relationship between living in four different family structures on key measures of youth well-being, studied separately by race. The authors also examine whether contextual factors mediate these associations. For Black youth, we find no effects of family structure on youth well-being; however, community context measures are associated wit…
Family economic well-being following the 1996 welfare reform: Trend data from five non-experimental panel studies
Maternal work and welfare use and child well-being: Evidence from 6 years of data from the Women's Employment Study
Children in no-parent households: The continuity of arrangements and the composition of households
The Influence of Grandparents in Single-Mother Families
This article examines whether children living with single mothers benefit when they also live with a grandparent, using data from the 1979 to 2002 waves of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth merged mother-child file (N = 6,501). Results indicate that for White children, living with a single mother and a grandparent is associated with increased cognitive stimulation and higher reading recognition scores, compared to living with a single mot…
State Welfare Policies and Children’s Living Arrangements
Changes in welfare legislation throughout the 1990s attempted, among other things, to promote marriage and decrease single parenthood. However, little research considers how such policies influence children’s living arrangements. This article uses data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation to relate welfare reform policies to the likelihood that children live in one of three living arrangements: with married parents, with a single p…
Employment Patterns of Less-Skilled Workers: Links to Children’s Behavior and Academic Progress
Using data from five waves of the Women’s Employment Survey (WES; 1997–2003), we examine the links between low-income mothers’ employment patterns and the emotional behavior and academic progress of their children. We find robust and substantively important linkages between several different dimensions of mothers’ employment experiences and child outcomes. The pattern of results is similar across empirical approaches—including ordinary least squa…
The Role of Grandparents in the Lives of Youth
Recent demographic trends suggest that grandparents may play influential roles in the lives of their grandchildren. Despite this, the role of grandparents in the lives of youth remains an understudied topic. Using data from a nationally representative group of youth aged 14 to 19 years from the 1992 Wave 2 National Survey of Families and Households, this study seeks to better understand the role of grandparents in the lives of grandchildren by ex…
The Influence of Grandparents on the Lives of Children and Adolescents
Recent trends such as increased life expectancy, decreases in family size, and the rise of both single-parent families and maternal employment increase the potential for grandparents to play important roles in the lives of their grandchildren. In this article, I review recent research and discuss directions for research on grandparents' influence on the lives of children and adolescents. I consider the role of nonresidential grandparents in child…
Mothers’ night work and children’s behavior problems
Many mothers work in jobs with nonstandard schedules (i.e., schedules that involve work outside of the traditional 9-5, Monday through Friday schedule); this is particularly true for economically disadvantaged mothers. In the present article, we used longitudinal data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Survey (n = 2,367 mothers of children ages 3-5 years) to examine the associations between maternal nonstandard work and children's beha…
Parental employment and children's body weight: Mothers, others, and mechanisms
Measuring Maternal Nonstandard Work in Survey Data
Surveys differ in the measurement of nonstandard work, such that some surveys require respondents to indicate whether they work either a standard or a nonstandard schedule, whereas others allow respondents to indicate that they work both types of schedules. We test whether these measurement decisions influence the estimated prevalence of maternal nonstandard work, using data from two sources: the Current Population Survey (N = 1,430) and the Frag…
Child-Care Subsidies and Family Well-Being
Many low-income families receive child-care subsidies, and a small but growing literature examines the relationship between subsidies and family well-being. Some studies find a negative association between subsidy receipt and family well-being, raising questions about the processes that mediate the two. Drawing on a subsample of 1,189 subsidy recipients and eligible mothers from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, we investigate the r…
Grandparent Coresidence and Family Well-Being: Implications for Research and Policy
U.S. children today have increasingly diverse living arrangements. In 2012, 10 percent of children lived with at least one grandparent; 8 percent lived in three-generational households, consisting of a parent and a grandparent; while 2 percent lived with a grandparent and no parent in the household. This article reviews the literature on grandparent coresidence and presents new research on children coresiding with grandparents in modern families.…
Psychology (34 works) · Developmental psychology (25 works) · Economics (21 works) · Demographic economics (20 works) · Gender, Labor, and Family Dynamics (19 works) · Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving (18 works) · Family Dynamics and Relationships (17 works) · Sociology (16 works) · Demography (12 works) · Geography (10 works)