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‘MRS Degrees’ for Whom? Racial Disparities in Women’s Household Economic Returns to College Quality ♥ ★

Monday, Mar 8, 2021 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

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‘MRS Degrees’ for Whom?
Racial Disparities in Women’s Household Economic Returns to College Quality

Presented by Natasha Quadlin
Assistant Professor of Sociology, UCLA

Monday, March 8, 2021
12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m.

Register to connect via Zoom
https://uci.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_CIOxVSv3RCOIbojmXDx7Gw

Abstract: Prior research on economic returns to college quality (a close substitute for terms like selectivity or prestige) often assesses returns in terms of individuals’ incomes. This approach overlooks the fact that college graduates often marry other college graduates who attended the same college or a college of comparable quality, pooling financial and other advantages within households. Such pooling may be especially important for college-going women, who receive lower individual income returns to college quality than men, consistent with research on gender inequality. In this study, we use data from the NLSY-79, NLSY-97, and IPEDS to investigate women’s household income returns to college quality. We also assess the extent to which Black and White women receive equal household economic returns to college quality, and how these dynamics have changed across cohorts. Findings will be discussed, along with implications for the study of higher education, college quality, race, gender, and inequality.

Bio: Natasha Quadlin is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at UCLA. Her research examines social inequality in the contemporary United States, with an emphasis on access and returns to higher education. She is particularly interested in using data from large-scale experiments and surveys to understand the mechanisms that underlie inequality. Her work has been published or is forthcoming in the American Sociological ReviewAmerican Journal of SociologySocial ForcesSociology of Education, and other outlets. Natasha is currently writing a book with Brian Powell (Indiana University), entitled WHO SHOULD PAY? Higher Education, Responsibility, and the Public.