West Virginia University - News and Information Services
WVU sociologist's research looks at unmarried fathers and money; earning power in ethnic neighborhoods
Rachael Woldoff, a West Virginia University sociology professor who studies urban interaction in American life, has recently published two papers in two major journals in her field.
“Regular Work, Underground Jobs and Hustling: An Examination of Paternal Work and Father Involvement” is the name of the article authored by Woldoff and WVU graduate student Michael Cina. That work appeared recently in the journal, Fathering, which discusses theories and research related to men and their offspring.
Woldoff and Cina analyzed a sampling of urban fathers. Most of their subjects weren’t married at the time. The authors show how participating in a “regular” job – versus under-the-table work or illicit hustles – can affect the interaction with their children.
Traditional employment makes for positive interaction, the authors said, while seeking money in the other ventures doesn’t. Race also plays a role in those interactions, they found.
Woldoff is the sole author of “Wealth, Human Capital and Family across Racial/Ethnic Groups: Integrating Models of Wealth and Human Attainment,” which appeared recently in the international journal, Urban Studies.
Woldoff looked at the politics and particulars of making money, but she honed the study in on the relationship between family relationships versus the socioeconomic status of the neighborhood.
Among her findings, blacks and Latinos have greater returns to wealth than whites when looking at integration.
Woldoff is an assistant professor in the Division of Sociology and Anthropology in the School of Applied Social Sciences, which is part of WVU’s Eberly College of Arts and Sciences.
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