Publications
Publications
Fertility Outcomes of Children with Divorced Parents: Evidence from Population Data (with Deni Mazrekaj and Kristof De Witte). Demography (2026).
Early Labor Market Outcomes of Young Adults from Same-Sex Families: Evidence from Population Data (with Deni Mazrekaj and Kristof De Witte). Conditionally accepted at Journal of Marriage and Family (2026).
Information shocks and parental response in education. A case study of an open government initiative (with Fritz Schiltz and Kristof De Witte). Government Information Quarterly (2022).
Mazrekaj, D., Palmaccio, S., & De Witte, K. Research on children with LGBTQ parents: Challenges and a way forward. In G. Kaufman, M. Stambolis-Ruhstorfer, S. Roberts, & B. Ralph (Eds) Research Handbook on the Sociology of Gender. Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd (2024).
Is Physical Unattractiveness a Risk Factor for Sexual Violence Perpetration? Evidence from the U.S. (with Maria Laura Di Tommaso, Silvia Mendolia, and Giulia Savio). IZA Discussion Paper, No. 18370 (2026).
Abstract. Little is known about whether an individual’s physical attractiveness influences the likelihood of perpetrating sexual violence. Using U.S. data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), we examine the relationship between attractiveness and sexual violence perpetration against one’s partner. Physical attractiveness is measured using interviewer-assigned scores for respondents aged 12 to 17. Among men, a one-point increase in attractiveness (on a 1–5 scale) reduces the likelihood of perpetrating sexual violence in adulthood by 13 percent. We also find that contextual factors, such as parental education and neighborhood cohesion, mitigate this association. Very unattractive men with highly educated parents have substantially lower predicted probabilities of perpetrating sexual violence compared to peers with less-educated parents. Similarly, very unattractive men living in cohesive neighborhoods report markedly lower predicted frequencies of sexual violence perpetration than those in less cohesive neighborhoods.
Children with Disabilities: Parental Labour-Market Penalties Worldwide (with Nicoletta Balbo, Elisabetta De Cao, Francesco De Luca, and Giorgio Nocerino).
Abstract. Today, an estimated 240 million children live with a disability worldwide. Although a child’s disability can profoundly shape parents’ family and economic lives, empirical evidence on its impact remains limited. Using a combination of cross-sectional census data and longitudinal survey data from 29 countries, we provide the first cross-national comparative analysis of how child disability affects mothers’ and fathers’ employment trajectories. In countries with census data, we implement pseudo–event-study models, constructing synthetic pre-birth employment trends by matching childless individuals to parents of children with and without disabilities on observable characteristics. We document a sizable child-disability penalty in maternal employment in higher-income contexts—mothers of children with disabilities are substantially less likely to be employed than comparable mothers of non-disabled children—while fathers show only marginal effects. By contrast, in lower-income contexts, we find no significant effects for either parent. These results suggest that labour-market structures and broader socio-economic contexts crucially shape parents'—especially mothers'—employment responses to child disability.
Child disability spillovers on schoolmates' noncognitive outcomes (with Nicoletta Balbo).
Abstract. Creating an inclusive school environment, where students with disabilities are integrated as much as possible with students without disabilities, has become a central objective in educational policies worldwide. Despite this trend, however, empirical evidence on the effects of exposure to peers with disabilities remains limited. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), we examine child disability spillover effects on internalizing and externalizing behavioral outcomes of students in middle and high school (grades 7-12) in the United States. To address potential endogeneity, we employ a quasi-experimental research design and exploit within-school, between-grade variation in peer composition. Our results show that exposure to peers with physical disabilities is reflected in students without disabilities' increased internalizing behavioral problems, with no effects on externalizing problems. No spillover effects are found for learning disabilities. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that students without disabilities socialize the emotional and social challenges experienced by their peers with disabilities. We also find that the effects are substantially mitigated in schools where emotional counseling is provided, suggesting that emotional counseling and the factors influencing its provision may play a key role in promoting a healthier and more inclusive classroom environment for all students.
The effect of the birth of a halfsibling and the presence of stepsiblings on children's educational achievements (with Deni Mazrekaj and Kristof De Witte).
Parental separation around educational transitions: timing matters. Evidence from population data (with Hannelore Nelissen and Kristof De Witte).
The Role of Grandparents in Children's Outcomes: A Review of Research and New Insights from the UK. Book Chapter in "A Research Agenda for Grandparenting and Society" (Edited by Chiara Pronzato). Edward Elgar Publishing.
La violenza nasce dall'aspetto fisico. Degli uomini. [Violence rises from physical appearance. Of men.] (with Maria Laura Di Tommaso, Silvia Mendolia, and Giulia Savio), La Voce (2025).
Als een doorsnee gezin niet meer traditioneel is [When the average family is no longer traditional] (with Kristof De Witte and Deni Mazrekaj), Leuvense Economische Standpunten, 2023/205 (2023).
Barriers to Same-Sex Parenting Remain in Europe and are Unfounded (with Deni Mazrekaj and Kristof De Witte). Feminist Perspectives, King’s College London (2021).