Inequality in the Appalachian Region

91 Pages·2015·1.3 MB·English

by  Vaughan, Staci

Inequality in the Appalachian Region:
Impact of Place, Education, and Gender on Income Disparity

A thesis presented to
the faculty of
the College of Arts and Sciences of Ohio University

In partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree
Master of Arts

Staci R. Vaughan
August 2015
© 2015 Staci R. Vaughan. All Rights Reserved.
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This thesis titled
Inequality in the Appalachian Region:
Impact of Place, Education, and Gender on Income Disparity

by
STACI R. VAUGHAN

has been approved for
the Department of Sociology and Anthropology
and the College of Arts and Sciences by

Cynthia Anderson
Professor of Sociology

Robert Frank
Dean, College of Arts and Sciences
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ABSTRACT
VAUGHAN, STACI R., M.A., August 2015, Sociology
Inequality in the Appalachian Region: Impact of Place, Education, and Gender on Income
Disparity
Director of Thesis: Cynthia Anderson
This research uses county-level data to examine the impact of place on income
inequality in the Appalachian region. Previous research on theories of spatial inequality
suggest geographical isolation is a significant predictor of life chances. The research
questions ask if county-level income decreases due to a county being Appalachian and
rural and what effect does the female-headed household rate and education rate have on
income. The dependent variable is income and independent variables include
unemployment, education, female-headed household rates, the Appalachian region, and
rurality. Specific hypotheses are: (1) Appalachian counties will have lower county-level
incomes than non-Appalachian counties. (2) Counties with high female-headed
household rates will have lower incomes. (3) Education rates will be higher in non-
Appalachian counties in comparison to Appalachian counties. Linear regression models
were performed via SPSS with data primarily from the Census and American Community
Survey. Central findings show unemployment, education, female-headed households, the
Appalachian region, and rurality predict county-level income at 71.3 percent. It remains
that this region needs continued attention and funding from the state and government
level.
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DEDICATION

To my family
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Mom, Grandma, and Papaw: Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for
everything you have done for me. I am thankful for your continued support to chase my
dreams and I will forever be thankful for that. I love you all more than you could ever
know.
Jordan: Thank you for your unconditional love and for being my best friend.
Even in the toughest of times you always provide me with support, encouragement, and
love. I look forward to being your rock as you endure graduate school. No matter what
we may encounter in the future, I know we will persevere and enjoy our beautiful life
together.
My friends: Thank you all for your continued support throughout our friendship.
Stephanie, thank you for always being one phone call away. Even when I am in tears you
always know the right thing to say to get me in good spirits. Katlyn, I honestly do not
know how I would have survived graduate school without you. You always provide
support, whether it is through conversation, movie nights, or bringing me lunch. I am
forever grateful for that! I am really going to miss having you right next door. Clara,
thank you for being so caring and a wonderful friend. Without you, I would not have able
to experience an amazing side of Athens and Ohio University. I am excited to see where
our friendship takes us next! Neel, thank you for your optimism. No matter what situation
we are in you are always hopeful and a joy to be around. I am looking forward to visiting
you and your beautiful family in Tennessee!
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My committee: Thank you for being my academic family. I have grown so much
through your courses and mentorship. Dr. Thorne, thank you for your support, especially
during my first year in graduate school. I am grateful to have worked under you as a
graduate assistant. Also, I am thankful for your advice on teaching and for your detailed
edits to my writing. Dr. Henderson, I will be forever thankful for all of the support you
have given me in these two years. I appreciate all of the advice you provided about
classes, teaching, my thesis and especially life. I am very thankful for all of the time you
took working with me and your caring support outside of the office. Dr. Anderson, I am
extremely grateful for your support and encouragement these last two years. You have
helped me tremendously throughout the ups and downs of graduate school and especially
with my thesis. Looking back, my ideas on what I wanted to research have developed
vastly from taking your class my first semester here, presenting at the Southern
Sociological Society conference in Charlotte, to analyzing the results from my data set. I
am very thankful for your time and help with me on this thesis – I am so proud of it!
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………....3
Dedication…………………………………………………………………………………4
Acknowledgments…………………………………………………………………………5
List of Tables……………………………………………………………………………...8
List of Figures………………………………………………………………………..……9
Chapter 1 – Introduction……………………………………………………..…………..10
Chapter 2 – Literature Review……………………………………………………….…..16
Chapter 3 – Methods……………………………………………………………….…….29
Chapter 4 – Discussion…………………………………………………..………………37
Chapter 5 – Conclusion…………………………………………………………………..45
References……………………………………………………….……………………….51
Appendix: List of States and Counties in the Data Set....………………………………..63
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LIST OF TABLES
Page
Table 1: Descriptive Statistics Variables for all Counties…………...………..…………56
Table 2: Descriptive Statistics While Controlling for Appalachia………………………57
Table 3: Pearson Correlation for Variables……………………………………………...58
Table 4: Linear Regression Analysis for Income Variable…………...……………….…59
Table 5: Linear Regression Analysis with Appalachia and Rurality Model………….....60
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LIST OF FIGURES
Page
Figure 1: The Appalachian and non-Appalachian Counties….……………….…………61
Figure 2: Map of Counties in the Appalachian Region………………………………….62
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CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Problem Statement
This research is about the effect of geographic place within the Appalachian
region on income. The impact of place will be examined through a literature review, the
collection of data, and an analysis of the findings. Other variables that will examine
inequality in the Appalachian region include education and gender and how they may
influence income. This is an important problem because the Appalachian region is
geographically isolated and those living in the region are disadvantaged in terms of
income and education (Pollard 2003; Moore 2005).
Previous literature suggests that the Appalachian region is not only geographically
isolated but impoverished and economically underdeveloped (Thorne, Tickamyer, and
Thorne 2005). The Appalachian region is a symbol of poverty with Appalachian poverty
being higher in comparison to the nation (Thorne et al. 2005). Also, rural Appalachia is
lagging behind rural America in terms of economic prosperity (Thorne et al. 2005; Moore
2005). Scholars find that significant inequalities exist in educational attainment and
income for women (Latimer and Oberhauser 2005). In 2000, 18 percent of Appalachians,
25 years of age and older, held a four-year degree compared to 25 percent for the nation.
(Gebremariam, Gerbremedhim, and Schaeffer 2011). Education is directly related to
occupational opportunities (Torpey and Watson 2014). For women in the Appalachian
region, lower levels of education may result in disproportionate employment in lower-
paying, service sector jobs such as support services (Latimer and Oberhauser 2005).