{"id":1879,"title":"The Long-Run Effect of Parental Absence: Evidence from Mining Accidents","authors":"Ezra G. Goldstein","year":2020,"month":8,"day":null,"address":null,"book_title":null,"chapter":null,"edition":null,"editors":null,"how_published":null,"institution":null,"issue":null,"journal":null,"organization":null,"pages":null,"publisher":null,"school":null,"series":null,"volume":null,"entry_type":"unpublished","entry_type_override":null,"site_id":374,"pdf":null,"token":"5QhLvUyCsXqfmLqRMx7CXE2U","content":"

(Draft Coming Soon)

Today, roughly one third of children grow up in a single-parent household. Yet little is known about the causal effect of single-parent households on a child's adulthood outcomes. This study estimates the causal impact of parental absence on a child's adulthood outcomes by examining parental death. To do so, I employ individual-level, historical data with a natural experiment leveraging plausibly exogenous variation in parental death. Using digitized records of all mining accidents in Pennsylvania, Illinois, West Virginia, and Ohio during the early 20th century, I compare children of fatal mining accident victims to children whose parents suffered serious, but non-fatal accidents. Adults who experienced the death of a parent during childhood experience worse labor market outcomes and are more likely to live outside of their childhood county. Estimates reveal substantial heterogeneity, the most severe effects are present for adults who experienced the loss of a parent at an early age and for children of immigrants.

","content_markup":0,"doi":null,"section_id":104,"blocks":[{"kind":"visual-text","value":"

(Draft Coming Soon)

Roughly one quarter of children currently grow up in a single-parent household in the United States. Yet little is known about the causal effect of parental absence on a child's adulthood outcomes. In this study, I leverage a novel, individual-level historical dataset and a natural experiment that yields plausibly exogenous variation in parental death. Specifically, I use digitized records of nearly all mining accidents in the U.S. during the early 20th century, and compare the adulthood outcomes of children of fatal mining accident victims to children whose parents suffered serious, yet non-fatal accidents. Adults who experienced the death of a parent during childhood are more likely to be unemployed, less likely to work in high-skilled occupations, and earn less wage income. Subgroup analyses indicate that the results are primarily driven by adults who experienced the loss of a parent at an early age and by children of immigrants.

"}],"authors_list":["Ezra G. Goldstein"],"display_authors_list":["Ezra G. Goldstein"],"editors_list":[],"display_editors_list":[]}

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