It is well established that living in a high-poverty area often leads to lower levels of well-being for residents. While these deleterious effects of place-based poverty are well-documented, the conceptual mechanisms linking poverty of place to negative outcomes remain debated, and the our understanding of the spatial patterning of poverty remains underdeveloped. In this paper, we problematize simple conceptualizations of the negative impacts of poverty exposure by illustrating the dynamic patterns poverty displays across cities on a daily basis. The vast majority of prior research on poverty of place has relied upon data anchored to place of residence. Thus, poverty rates broadly reflect poverty as it exists at night. This bias toward nighttime statistics leaves us with an incomplete understanding of spatial inequalities because daytime poverty rates can differ markedly from nighttime poverty rates due to work-related commuting patterns. Here, we use novel data from the Census Transportation Planning Products to fully illustrate diurnal patterns in poverty at the census tract level in metropolitan America. Through a combination of descriptive, spatial, and statistical analyses, we show that the majority of census tracts experience changes in poverty throughout the day. Through a series of regression models, we also show that diurnal patterns in poverty are unevenly distributed along the lines of suburbanization, race, economic status, age composition, and industrial structure. Overall, our findings provide analytic insights into properly documenting poverty across space, while further problematizing lingering culture of poverty frameworks.

Employment has grave implications for workers’ well-being. In this work, we explore how Black women are sorted into what we call “vulnerable work.” Vulnerable work includes work characteristics such as wages, hours, health insurance and retirement benefits, as well as work arrangements that often come with less security, predictability, and economic renumeration—namely independent contracting, contract work, temp agency work, and on-call/day work. We use occupational crowding methodology (Bergmann 1974; Gibson, Darity, and Myers 1998; Hamilton 2006) to understand if Black women are under- or overrepresented in occupations that are more vulnerable, taking into account educational attainment and educational requirements of the work. We compare Black women’s representation with multiple groups, acknowledging marginalization at work across multiple identities (Crenshaw 1989): within race (compared with Black men), within gender (compared with white women), and across both race and gender (compared with white men). A few findings are as follows:  Black women are underrepresented in higher-paying occupations across both race and gender—in contrast to white men, white women, and Black men.  Black women tended to be underrepresented in occupations with higher rates of employer-sponsored health insurance compared with white men but overrepresented in occupations with higher retirement coverage rates compared with white women.  Black women are also overrepresented in occupations that have fewer hours compared with white men and Black men.  Findings on alternative work are below: » As shares of independent contractors and contract workers in occupations rise, the representation of Black women falls significantly more compared with white men and Black men (and with white women as independent contractors). Large diversity exists in the types of work that independent contractors and contract workers perform, and future studies could examine these forms of employment. » The share of temp agency workers in occupations (an arrangement with the lowest benefit rates and pay) has a positive and significant relationship with crowding rates for Black women compared with white men. These findings suggest the need for policies that prevent employer discrimination, boost collective bargaining, and provide a greater social safety net, regardless of connection to an employer.

Older adults are often overlooked in decision making processes despite the detrimental effects on their well-being. The representation of older adults in investigations and initiatives is needed so that the issues they face, today and in the future, can be resolved through partnership and their active involvement. The aim of this article is to describe a participatory process for conducting a needs assessment (NA) and the contributions and opportunities of partnering with older adults to shape community services and support for older adults. Data were collected from 1,863 participants in a midwestern county via focus groups, interviews, and surveys. We describe how participatory principles were enacted, the involvement of older adults influenced the design and contributed to making sure hard-to-reach residents’ voices were included. Finally, we discuss the ways in which a community inclusive multi-method strategy can optimize resource allocation, identify pathways to more effective policymaking that is matched to the needs and interests of its oldest residents, and lead to unanticipated benefits. Single method, non-inclusive approaches can obscure the critical context and exclude perspectives of the most burdened and vulnerable, who are most in need of support from their community.

This study explores how work- and family-sphere gender structures spill over into individuals’ leisure for personal well-being and self-development. Guided by theories of perpetuated gender inequality in work, family, and leisure, this study further brings in theories of labor and leisure and human development to highlight the significance of leisure to the person and conceptualizesthis domain asthe person sphere.Thisstudy expands the bi-sphere work-family framework of gender inequality into a tri-sphere work-family-person framework aiming to further structural-level understandings of how work- and family-sphere gender structures shape individuals’ ostensibly free person sphere through the lens of activity-time allocations. It draws on time diary and socio-demographic data from a representative sample of 31,000 individuals aged 25 to 54 from the 2014- 2019 American Time Use Survey. The findings reveal significant and systematic gender gaps in personal time. Gendered occupations, whether male- or female-concentrated, result in more constrained personal time than gender-neutral occupations. Structural work demands function as a significant mechanism through which male-concentrated occupations, as well as gender-neutral occupations to a lesser extent, influence individuals’ personal time, while not for female-concentrated occupations. Family gender structure shapes inequalities in personal time among typical fathers and mothers, with typical mothers facing more constraints than fathers, household-specialized in-union mothers facing additional constraints than those not, and single mothers facing particular challenges. These findings highlight how gender inequality is reproduced in the ostensibly free person sphere, calling for greater attention to systematic gender inequality beyond the work and family spheres.

The 6th Amendment to the United States constitution guarantees all defendants in criminal trials the right to an impartial jury of their peers. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled impartiality to mean that the pool of potential jurors must reflect a fair cross-section (FCS) of the community, for instance, that the proportion of Black jurors approximates the proportion of Black residents in the jurisdiction in which a case is adjudicated. In this study, we show that the prevailing standards for evaluating the constitutionality of racial and ethnic minority representation in jury pools are impossible to meet in over three quarters of U.S. counties. Further, we demonstrate striking systematic differences in indicators of social and economic well-being between counties where the FCS requirement could be met versus where it would not. We conclude by discussing the implications of current FCS jurisprudence, highlighting how a legal standard meant to reduce bias in the criminal legal system functions to further racial and ethnic inequality.

This paper presents how a new interdisciplinary, faculty–student research team collaborates with multiple community partners to develop civically engaged research (CER) addressing young children’s inequitable economic mobility. We aim to create more equitable, culturally responsive prenatal to age five (PN-5) systems of care that promote economic mobility for families in Charlotte, North Carolina and beyond. As a secondary objective, we leverage our CER partnerships and research lab model to create civically engaged learning (CEL) opportunities for diverse students, amplifying community impact. We detail our origins, shaped by a university initiative and two community calls to action, and explain how overcoming CER challenges – developing new projects, managing competing output pressures, and addressing external funding demands – has solidified our PN-5 identity and CER partnership. We share key lessons learned, including the value of strong mentorship in guiding CER development, internal deliberation to navigate interdisciplinary and cross-rank academic pressures, and co-producing materials to maximize impact. We also share strategies for creating outputs that ensure mutual benefit for all – community partners, faculty, and students, and highlight the benefits of integrating CEL opportunities within CER partnerships. Overall, we hope our experiences inspire others to foster meaningful CER partnerships that enhance community well-being.

This paper investigates the nexus between water fetching, gender-based violence (GBV), and underrepresented population in Africa. By analyzing individual-level data from the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series-Demographic and Health Surveys (IPUMS-DHS), it is found that women responsible for water fetching experience increased risks of violence, particularly when traveling long distances to access water sources. In addition, the study explores the intersecting dynamics of gender and ethnicity, revealing that women from underrepresented groups face increased vulnerability to sexual violence, especially in regions with significant polarization. These findings underscore the multifaceted nature of water insecurity and its impacts on women’s safety and well-being, emphasizing the importance of addressing gender and ethnic disparities in water access to mitigate violence against women.

Farmers face unique challenges and opportunities in saving for and maintaining income during retirement relative to other Americans. Farm households have higher income than the average American household but may decide to invest in their farm rather than save for retirement. We use information from the Agricultural Resource Management Survey, the Survey of Consumer Finances, and the Current Population Survey to answer three questions pertaining to the retirement preparedness of farm households. First, what is the composition of income and assets for farm households? Second, how do retirement income and assets for farm households compare to those of all U.S. households and nonfarm self-employed households? Third, do retirement income and assets vary across subpopulations of retirement-age farmers? Our results suggest that, on average, older farm households received smaller shares of their income from retirement sources and had smaller retirement assets than older U.S. households. However, farm households had higher levels of total income and assets with most assets being concentrated in the farm operation. Farm assets may be relatively illiquid compared to retirement assets making it more difficult to rely on them for income during retirement. Among older farm households, those with low-sales farm businesses and Hispanic and non-White operators may be particularly unprepared for retirement relative to other farm households. Our results have implications for farm household well-being as operators’ average age rises. They highlight the similar and distinct challenges farmers face in saving for and maintaining income in retirement relative to other workers.

Too often, policy discussions focus on employment rates over the quality of the jobs that are available to veterans. Ensuring safe and healthy working conditions for veterans should be a priority of policies and programs to improve employment opportunities for this population. Veterans have already put their lives and health on the line for their country, sometimes with long-term effects that make them vulnerable to additional hazards on the job. Understanding why veterans choose the occupations they do and the risks they are exposed to could lead to policies that improve veteran health and support for all workers.

Cold exposure remains a significant public health concern, particularly in the Arctic regions prone to extremely cold weather. While the physical health impacts of cold exposure are well documented, understanding the social vulnerability aspects is crucial for effective mitigation and policy development. This study investigates the multifaceted dimensions of social vulnerability in the face of cold temperatures across various communities in Alaska. Alaska, renowned for its extreme cold temperatures and harsh environmental conditions, poses unique challenges to its residents, particularly in the context of social vulnerability. Drawing on a combination of quantitative data analysis and qualitative insights, we examine the factors contributing to social vulnerability, including demographic, economic, geographic, and infrastructural elements, in terms of the Extremely Cold Social Vulnerability Index, for seven Public Health Regions in Alaska. The Universal Thermal Climate Index in two very cold categories (<−27 °C) was used to identify cold exposure. Factors such as income, housing quality, health status, and resilience of the population play crucial roles in determining an individual or community’s sensitivity to, and ability to cope with, cold temperatures. Our analysis reveals that social vulnerability in Alaska is not uniform but varies significantly among regions. The research findings highlight the importance of considering factors of both sensitivity and adaptivity in understanding and addressing social vulnerability, thereby informing the development of targeted strategies and policies to enhance the resilience of Alaskan communities. As cold temperatures are projected to continue to challenge the region, addressing social vulnerability is essential for ensuring the well-being and safety of Alaska’s diverse populations.

Understanding the allocation of work is crucial to understanding poverty at the individual level and disparities in income and well-being on a macroeconomic scale.

One emerging but underexplored factor that is likely to contribute to group racial earnings disparity is unstable work schedules. This is often detrimental for hourly workers when volatility is frequent, involuntary, or unanticipated. Using data from 2005-2022 monthly Current Population Survey and its panel design, this study follows a group of hourly workers across a four-month period to assess whether labor market volatility relates to their financial well-being, focusing on low-wage care and service occupations as well as female workers and workers of color. The findings are threefold: In general, during economic expansion periods, nonwhite workers often benefit more in terms of wage growth compared to their white counterparts.

Objective: This paper analyzes gender inequalities in leisure time within coresident opposite-sex couples with and without children at home in five European countries to evaluate the gendered parental impact in leisure time. Background: In European societies, women continue to bear much of the physical and mental burden involved in running a household and managing family life resulting in greater levels of stress and time deprivation. Time spent in leisure has been associated with better physical and psychological wellness. Understanding how gender influences the distribution of leisure time among couples living with and without children at home, and how these effects differ across European countries, is important to understand individual and couples' well-being. Method: Drawing on information from the Multinational Time Use Study for 15,024 matched couples residing in Spain, Italy, France, Finland, and the United Kingdom, we conduct a series of ordinary-least-squares regression analyses with country fixed effects. Results: The general trends reveal that women in Europe allocate less time to leisure and that mothers experience lower leisure of high quality compared to their partners when their children are below the age of 5. However, Finnish and British couples exhibit a more egalitarian distribution of leisure time regardless of their parental status, particularly when compared to Italian and Spanish ones. Conclusion: This study unveils a gendered use of leisure time, as well as a gendered parental impact when children are young. However, the impact of women's second shift in leisure time varies across countries, suggesting a cultural and institutional effect. Implications: These findings have implications for researchers, health professionals, and policymakers concerned with understanding and alleviating situations of overstress, time poverty, and depression among women, but especially among mothers of young children.

Early care and education (ECE) programs provide nurturing environments for young children—and the learning environments of children simultaneously serve as the working environments of early educators. In Sonoma County, approximately 140 child care centers serve children from birth through age five, along with more than 330 family child care providers operating in their own homes. Centers include sites funded by Head Start or State Preschool, centers enrolling children with child care subsidies, and centers enrolling children with no public funding, both as nonprofit or for-profit entities. Building on the California Early Care and Education Workforce Study, this report provides a snapshot of the state of the licensed ECE workforce in Sonoma County. Chapter 1 offers a profile of its core members: family child care providers and center-based educators (directors, lead teachers, and assistants).1 Chapter 2 describes the state of educator well-being, and Chapter 3 explores stability for center- and home-based programs and for professionals in the field.

We explore the impact of rising incomes at the top of the distribution on spatial sorting patterns within large U.S. cities. We develop and quantify a spatial model of a city with heterogeneous agents and non-homothetic preferences for neighbourhoods with endogenous amenity quality. As the rich get richer, demand increases for the high-quality amenities available in downtown neighbourhoods. Rising demand drives up house prices and spurs the development of higher quality neighbourhoods downtown. This gentrification of downtowns makes poor incumbents worse off, as they are either displaced to the suburbs or pay higher rents for amenities that they do not value as much. We quantify the corresponding impact on well-being inequality. Through the lens of the quantified model, the change in the income distribution between 1990 and 2014 led to neighbourhood change and spatial resorting within urban areas that increased the welfare of richer households relative to that of poorer households, above and beyond rising nominal income inequality.

Urban environments influence well-being among young people in many ways, yet youth perspectives are often excluded from decision-making processes including urban planning and design. From 2020 to 2021, the Nashville Youth Design Team, a participatory action research and design collective composed of high school students in Metro Nashville-Davidson County, Tennessee investigated the influence of built environments on diverse aspects of youth well-being. By employing a comprehensive eight-element definition of wellness (i.e., environmental, financial, intellectual, mental, physical, recreational, social, and spiritual), the team created and disseminated a Youth Wellness survey to middle and high school students across Nashville-Davidson County. In their survey, youth researchers asked their peers to rate their own wellness across each of these eight domains. The participants were also encouraged to identify locations in the city that either supported or detracted from their sense of well-being. This study utilized these data to conduct a spatial analysis, exploring how proximity to wellness-supporting or detracting locations influenced young people’s self-reported well-being. The data from open-ended survey questions were also analyzed qualitatively to provide context on how different environmental factors influence youth well-being. This research offers insights into the relationship between the built environment and youth wellness, highlighting the importance of incorporating youth perspectives into urban planning efforts.

Public health experts have observed higher risks of COVID-19 infection, hospitalization, and death for some racial groups compared with others. Studies into racially disparate COVID-19 outcomes have concentrated on the medical and public health reasons for disparities, while other work has looked generally at historic slavery’s continuing effect on health. None has looked specifically at the link between COVID-19 outcomes and historical slavery. This study looks at the disparity between Black Non-Hispanic and White Non-Hispanic deaths by asking whether the American legacy of slavery contributes to racial disparity. Specifically, we interpret the regression coefficients in linear regressions that explore the relationship between slavery and COVID-19 mortality for Black and White Non-Hispanic Americans, while controlling for other demographic characteristics. This study finds statistically significant evidence that slavery, outlawed more than 150 years ago, nevertheless influences disease today by contributing to higher mortality among Black Americans and lower mortality among White Americans in selected counties of U.S. Southern states.

Over the past decade, there has been increased awareness that U.S. military veterans often grapple with significant mental and physical health issues related to their service. In response, many policies and programs have been put in place to support veterans and improve their access to needed services. Despite these efforts, prevalence rates for physical and mental health problems and concerns about the health and overall well-being of veterans remain high. Because the specific needs of veterans and the barriers to accessing care likely differ across areas, data at the state level are critical for tailoring policies and programs to make them more effective.

Urban greenspaces—human-made or naturally occurring areas that predominantly feature vegetation—have spurred an increase in local, federal, and international interest in promoting and enhancing public and environmental health.1 Urban greenspaces offer a range of potential benefits, including urban heat island and flood mitigation, carbon storage and sequestration, reduced air and noise pollution, increased physical activity, enhanced social cohesion and cultural exchange, and improved psychological and physiological health. 2-4 These potential benefits position greenspaces as a possible cost-effective and efficient solution to urban challenges related to inadequate physical activity, poor mental health and well-being, and environmental concerns. 2,5,6 Despite the growing recognition of the potential health benefits conferred by greenspaces, significant knowledge gaps persist. Advancing scientific knowledge necessitates improved quantification of greenspace access, addressing the legacy of structural racism and greenspace inequities, and investigating the impact of greenspaces on maternal mental health. This dissertation addresses these gaps through three interrelated studies conducted in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota.

The high cost of health care affects health at both the individual and population level, and rural residents experience inequities in health, access to care, and financial well-being. However, little research has examined how health care affordability differs by rural/urban residence, and how health care affordability varies along geographic and socio-demographic dimensions within rural areas. In this policy brief, we examine rural/urban differences in rates of health care (un)affordability, as well as among rural residents by key socio-demographic characteristics.