Moving teenagers out of high-risk neighborhoods: How girls fare better than boys

Susan Clampet-Lundquist, Kathryn Edin, Jeffrey R. Kling, Greg J. Duncan

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

146 Scopus citations

Abstract

Moving to Opportunity (MTO) offered public housing residents the opportunity to move to low-poverty neighborhoods. Several years later, boys in the experimental group fared no better on measures of risk behavior than their control group counterparts, whereas girls in the experimental group engaged in lower-risk behavior than control group girls. The authors explore these differences by analyzing data from in-depth interviews conducted with 86 teens in Baltimore and Chicago. They find that daily routines, fitting in with neighborhood norms, neighborhood navigation strategies, interactions with peers, friendship making, and distance from father figures may contribute to how girls who moved via MTO benefited more than boys.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1154-1189
Number of pages36
JournalAmerican Journal of Sociology
Volume116
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2011
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Sociology and Political Science

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