Publications
Publications
Fertility Outcomes of Children with Divorced Parents: Evidence from Population Data (with Deni Mazrekaj and Kristof De Witte). Forthcoming at Demography (2025).
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).
Early Labor Market Outcomes of Young Adults from Same-Sex Families: Evidence from Population Data (with Deni Mazrekaj and Kristof De Witte). R&R at Journal of Marriage and Family.
Abstract. Although most studies suggest that children from same-sex families perform at least as well as children from different-sex families in childhood or adolescence, data limitations have prevented investigation of how children from same-sex families perform in adulthood. Using Dutch longitudinal tax registers, we offer the first population-based evidence on how young adults from same-sex families fare when entering the labor market after finishing their education. We observe 381,125 young adults who are no longer in education at age 25, of which 760 are from same-sex families. Our results suggest that young adults who lived in a same-sex family earn just as much, are equally employed, and have equal probability of being full-time employed as young adults from different-sex families. We also find that especially young adults raised by same-sex parents from birth more often choose industries dominated by the opposite sex. These findings suggest that children of same-sex parents do well on the labor market, and are less inclined to follow traditional gender norms when choosing occupations.
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).
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.
The child disability penalty: A global, comparative approach (with Nicoletta Balbo, Elisabetta De Cao, Francesco De Luca, and Giorgio Nocerino).
Abstract. Each year, a significant number of children are born with disabilities worldwide. While a child’s disability can profoundly and irreversibly impact multiple aspects of parents’ family and economic lives, empirical evidence on these spillover effects remains limited. Drawing on census data from 27 countries across the globe, this study offers the first cross-national comparative analysis of how child disability influences the employment trajectories of mothers and fathers. We employ pseudo-event study models, constructing synthetic pre-birth employment trends using data from childless individuals matched on observable characteristics to parents of children with and without disabilities. Our findings reveal that in more developed countries, having a child with a disability substantially reduces mothers’ likelihood of employment, with only marginal effects observed for fathers. In contrast, in less developed countries, child disability does not significantly influence either parent’s employment trajectory. These results suggest that broader labor market structures and socio-economic contexts play a critical role in shaping 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).
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).