2011 The Palm Beach County Family Study (Full Report)

Household Structure, Employment, and EducationThe most marked change in maternal employment occurred from the first to the second year, when it rosefrom 13 percent to 45 percent; from the second year on it has remained fairly stable. 12 Also, 8 percent ofthe year 5 sample reported being employed at each of the five interviews; however, 28 percent have neverreported being employed at any point during the study. Sixteen percent were not employed at the time ofthe first interview, but have been employed at each point since then. Finally, 49 percent have reportedsporadic employment.Of those mothers who were employed in the fifth year, half reported working 36 hours or more per week,with an overall average of 32.6 hours per week. As in previous years, most mothers work one job; onlyeight reported having two or more jobs. More than three-fourths of mothers who work described their jobas a regular daytime shift, and another 9 percent reported working a regular evening shift. Eight percentof the mothers reported rotating shifts; 3 percent reported regular night shifts; and 2 percent reportedworking either a split shift or some other schedule. The largest group of mothers (55%) described theirwork as a “service” occupation, and 12 percent reported being in an administrative position. Smallerpercentages (9% or less) described their jobs as marketing/sales, production, nursing, or health technicianpositions.Almost half (47%) of the mothers in the TGAs who gave birth in 2004 and 2005 were foreign-born. Thelargest percentages of foreign-born mothers in the TGAs came from Mexico (9%), Haiti (8%), andGuatemala (7%); 16 percent came from other Caribbean, Central American, and South Americancountries, and 6 percent came from other countries.Paternal employment has remained fairly stable over the 5 years. Overall, when looking at both familystructure and employment over time, we see an increase in the percentage of two-parent households inwhich both parents are working (from 5% in the first year to 23% in the fifth year). We also see anincrease in the percentage of single-parent households with a working parent (from 7% in the first year to20% in the fifth year).12 The unemployment rate in January 2008 was reported to be Florida’s highest since October 2004. During the first 3 years ofthe study, Florida boasted lower unemployment rates than the national average but by January 2008, the two rates wereconverging, with both expected to grow (Hundley, 2008).Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago 11