Seminar Series: Kate H. Choi, PhD
Racial and Ethnic Differences in the Impact of Partner Choice Decisions on Women’s Fertility, Contraceptive Behavior, and Reproductive Health
Kate Choi, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Sociology
Social Science Centre
Western University
Director
Centre for Research on Social Inequality
Western University
Short Biography:
Kate H. Choi is a social demographer, inequality scholar, and quantitative sociologist. Her research examines the nature, determinants, and consequences of social inequality. Her work identifies the social forces and structures perpetuating racial and socioeconomic inequality. She has published extensively on the wellbeing and health of interracial couples and multiracial individuals. Her work empirically showing the vulnerability of marginalized communities in Canada to COVID-19 has received acclaim. She held an SSHRC Insight Development Grant on the impact of neighborhood contexts on residents' wellbeing, including the spread of COVID-19, and holds an SSHRC Insight Grant for her project investigating the impact of COVID-19 on housing vulnerability in Canada. Her work has been published in prestigious journals, including Demography, Journal of Marriage and Family, and International Migration Review. Her research has also been featured in major media outlets, including the Financial Times, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Associate Press, Toronto Star, and CBC. She was one of 15 SSHRC-funded researchers nationwide whose work was featured in SSHRC's "Real Insight. Real Impact. Real Purpose" campaign. At the invitation of the Speaker of the House, she also recently showcased her research in the House of Commons in Parliament Hill, Ottawa. Choi was awarded Western's Faculty Scholar Award in 2022 for her exceptional scholarly activities.
Abstract:
Couples usually pool resources and make joint decisions in family formation behavior. Therefore, with whom people marry has important implications for the wellbeing of couples and their offspring. Yet, there is a paucity of studies examining the consequences of partner selection behavior. In this presentation, I will compare the fertility outcomes and contraceptive behavior of women in interclass marriages with those of their peers who married some from their own class. Recent work has shown that the impact of partner selection may differ by race. Thus, I will also discuss whether the impact of partner selection on women's fertility and contraceptive behavior differs across racial/ethnic groups. This work adds to the literature showing that partner selection maintains and exacerbates inequalities across families
Keywords:
Social inequality, intermarriage, reproductive health, contraceptive behavior, and reproductive health.
Date: Friday, November 17th
Time: 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm
Location: PHFM 3015 (Western Centre for Public Health and Family Medicine)
