Gender and household effects on employment transitions among Nicaraguan immigrants in the United States

Leila Rodriguez, University of Cincinnati
Juan Carlos Vargas, Universidad de Costa Rica

This paper analyzes how family composition and stage of the household life cycle affect employment transitions among Nicaraguan immigrants in the United States. Households and families affect employment transitions because of the obligations and opportunities they grant individuals. For immigrants, these obligations often span more than one country. Three main independent variables will be analyzed: household life cycle stage, presence of multiple working adults in the household, and presence of extended family in the host community. Event history analysis will be conducted to model the effect of these variables on the duration of jobs and the rates of job transitions. Expected results include that birth of children decreases employment transitions as economic stability becomes more important; that birth of children interrupt women’s employment; that multiple working adults increases turnover because multiple incomes are better able to absorb risk; and that extended family increases turnover as they provide access to information on alternative jobs.