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The Impact of Family Obligations on Young Women’s Decisions During the Transition to College: A Comparison of Latina, European American, and Asian American Students

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Abstract

In this study, we hypothesized that (1) Latina and Asian American undergraduate women would report more frequently fulfilling family obligations than would European Americans, and (2) fulfillment of family obligations would predict students’ residential and working plans for their first semester of college. Results of an online survey completed by 296 American first-year students showed that Latinas more frequently fulfilled family obligations than did Asian Americans and European Americans, although fulfilling family obligations did not influence Latinas’ residential or working plans. European American students who more frequently fulfilled family obligations were more likely to plan to live at home, and Asian American students who more frequently fulfilled family obligations planned to work fewer hours during their first semester at college.

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Correspondence to Susan R. Sy.

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Sy, S.R., Brittian, A. The Impact of Family Obligations on Young Women’s Decisions During the Transition to College: A Comparison of Latina, European American, and Asian American Students. Sex Roles 58, 729–737 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-007-9385-z

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