Study of Female-Headed Households in the Rural Mid South, 1989-1991 (doi:10.7910/DVN/6ZGMKI)

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Study of Female-Headed Households in the Rural Mid South, 1989-1991

doi:10.7910/DVN/6ZGMKI

Harvard Dataverse

2010-04-15

4

Dill, Bonnie Thornton, 2002, "Study of Female-Headed Households in the Rural Mid South, 1989-1991", https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/6ZGMKI, Harvard Dataverse, V4

Study of Female-Headed Households in the Rural Mid South, 1989-1991

doi:10.7910/DVN/6ZGMKI

01026

Dill, Bonnie Thornton

Harvard Dataverse

Murray Research Archive

Henry A. Murray Research Archive

2002

https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/6ZGMKI

Social Sciences

mra murraydiversity, 51-100, female,male, mixed, mixed, poverty, mixed, 1, yes, Work, Family, Women

This study builds on a one-year pilot project conducted in a single county in Northern Mississippi and funded by the Ford Foundation which examined the social factors underlying the formation, coping and survival strategies of female-headed households in the rural south. This study expands the pilot study to include four rural counties in the United States. It examines the lives of low-income female-headed households in these counties, including the support network of the participants, job opportunities available to them, their coping mechanisms, their relationships with men, the organization and administration of the local public welfare and social service delivery system, and the political and civic environment of a rural community. Participants were asked to describe aspects of the community in which they live, the state-supported services available to them, and the work opportunities available. <br /><br /> Approximately 18-24 Black and White women heads of households in this study were selected from each of two counties in Mississippi and two counties in Tennessee. They were between 20 and 40 years of age, and of mixed socioeconomic backgrounds. Social service agency heads, fathers, school superintendents, and business leaders were also interviewed. Participants were located through local headstart programs, through schools, referrals from social service agencies, and through the participants themselves.<br /><br /> Data were collected through semi-structured, open ended life history interviews with the women, and extensive interviews with local political and civic leaders, managers and owners of local businesses, politicians, and welfare department directors and staff members. Variables assessed include family background, household composition, education, children, childcare, networks, religious organizations and activities, childbearing and goals and practices, employment, ways to supplement income, relationships, marital plans and values, fertility, health care, food and diet, housing, community and volunteer organizations, politics, income and income distribution, public aid/welfare department, race relations, and life events. A questionnaire was administered to the fathers assessing demographics, employment, family background, children, child support, extended family networks, marriage, religion, and the relationship with the child's mother. Social service agency heads were asked about the organizational structure of their jobs, how the agency was funded, the main problems in the community, the most important public and service organizations in the community, how effective their agency was in providing services to the community, how local businesses and industries respond to community needs, what they believed to be the most important cause of poverty in America, and they were asked typical community concern questions. The business leaders were asked to describe opportunities, obstacles, and prospects for different kinds of economic development in the county, the kind of labor force available and the skill level required, and their views on the problem of poverty in the county. School superintendents were asked about the special needs of the children from female headed households, about funds available for special programs, about teaching staff, mentors, drug problems in the schools, and receiving support from the school board members. Lastly, welfare department personnel were asked about the main problems in the community, how the local businesses and industries were responding to community needs, and if enough money was being spent on unemployment, housing, healthcare, and the general welfare of the community. <br /><br /> The Murray Archive holds additional analogue materials for this study (audiotape and electronic text files of the interviews). If you would like to access this material, please apply to use the data. <br/><br /> <b>Audio Data Availability Note:</b> This study contains audio data that have been digitized. There are 442 audio files available.

1980-2000

1989-1991

United States

individuals

field study

quota sample

interview, other

Henry A. Murray Research Archive, Institute for Quantitative Social Sciences, Harvard University

Available

Submission of the following <a href= "http://www.murray.harvard.edu/application" target="_blank">Application For The Use Of Data</a> is required to access the data from this study.

I will use these data solely for the purposes stated in my application to use data, detailed in a written research proposal. I will honor all agreements and conditions made between the Contributor of the Data and the study participants, and between the Contributor of the Data and the Henry A. Murray Research Archive, Harvard University, as specified in the Memorandum of Agreement.

<a href="mailto:mra@help.hmdc.harvard.edu">Manager of Operations</a>, the Henry A. Murray Research Archive, Institute for Quantitative Social Sciences, 1737 Cambridge St, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.

I will include a bibliographic citation acknowledging the use of these data in any publication or presentation in which these data are used. Such citations will appear in footnotes or in the reference section of any such manuscript. I understand the guideline in "How to Cite This Dataset" described in the Summary of this study.

Murray Research Archive will list my publication and manuscripts on the Archive website when I submit a bibliographic citation or title of the manuscript, and indicate the Henry A. Murray Research Archive data used. Doing this will also help Henry A. Murray Research Archive to provide funding agencies with essential information about use of archival resources, to fulfill requirements of some memoranda of agreement, and to promote the broader exchange of information about research activities.

<b>Applications to use this study require approval from the Principal Investigator.</b>

<div style="padding-left: 30px;"> <ul style="list-style-type: decimal;" ><li> The Murray Archive (the Distributor) has granted me a revocable license to use this dataset solely for the purposes of conducting research, and the Distributor may terminate this license at any time and for any reason. </li> <li> I will use the dataset solely for statistical analysis and reporting of aggregated information, and not for investigation of specific individuals or organizations, except when identification is authorized in writing by the Distributor. </li> <li>I will produce no links among the Distributor’s datasets or among the Distributor’s data and other datasets that could identify individuals or organizations. </li> <li>I represent that neither I, nor anyone I know, has any prior knowledge of the possible identities of any study participants in any dataset that I am being licensed to use. </li> <li> I will not knowingly divulge any information that could be used to identify individual participants in the study, nor will I attempt to identify or contact any study participant, and I agree to use any precautions necessary to prevent such identification. </li> <li> I will make no use of the identity of any person or establishment discovered inadvertently. If I suspect that I might recognize or know a study participant, I will immediately inform the Distributor, and I will not use or retain a copy of data regarding that study participant. If these measures to resolve an identity disclosure are not sufficient, the Distributor may terminate my use of the dataset. </li> <li> I will not reproduce the dataset except as is necessary for my scholarly purposes. I will destroy the dataset upon the completion of my scholarly work with it. </li> <li> I will not share data from the dataset (in any form or by any means) with any third party, including other members of my research team, as I understand that all users of data must obtain the data directly from the Distributor. </li> <li> I will make appropriate acknowledgement of the contributor of the dataset as well as the Distributor in any manuscript or presentation (published or unpublished) using the citation standard documented here: <a href="http://thedata.org/citation"> http://thedata.org/citation</a> </li> <li> THE DISTRIBUTOR MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, BY OPERATION OF LAW OR OTHERWISE, REGARDING OR RELATING TO THE DATASET. </li> </ul> </div>

Submission of the following <a href= "http://www.murray.harvard.edu/application" target="_blank">Application For The Use Of Data</a> is required to access the data from this study.<p><b>Applications to use this study require approval from the Principal Investigator.</b></p>

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01026Dill-FemaleHeaded-DeidentifiedFiles.zip

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Electronic Transcripts

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01026Dill-FemaleHeaded-InterviewInventory.pdf

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Inventory of transcribed electronic interview transcripts, organized by participant

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01026Dill-FemaleHeaded-InventoryBySubject.wpd

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Data inventory by subject number

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01026Dill-FemaleHeaded-MemoOfAgreement.pdf

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Legal agreement between data depositor and Murray Archive

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01026Dill-FemaleHeaded-StudyDescription.pdf

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Overview: abstract, research methodology, publications, and other info.

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