DURATION IN PARENTAL STRUCTURES AND HIGH-SCHOOL GRADUATION

This article extends research on the effects of living in non-intact family types during childhood find adolescence on high school graduation. Data from the National Survey of Families and Households show that not only do ?rears spent in mother-only families have a negative effect on high school graduation but so do years spent in mother-stepfather and father-stepmother families. In addition, living only with grandparents or other relatives has a negative effect as does living on own. These effects are additive so that the more years spent in nonintact families, the lower the chances of graduating high school. The research also shows that the effects of years spent in nonintact families do not vary much by family type at birth, age at experience, gender or year of birth. However, years in mother-stepfather familes were negative for whiles but not for blacks.