title: The lifelong socioeconomic disadvantage of single-mother background - the Helsinki Birth Cohort study 1934-1944.
abstract: Growing up with one parent is associated with economic hardship and health disadvantages, but there is limited evidence of its lifetime consequences. We examined whether being born to an unmarried mother is associated with socioeconomic position and marital history over the lifespan.
  
  
  
  We analysed data from the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study including birth, child welfare clinic and school healthcare records from people born in Helsinki, Finland, between 1934 and 1944. Using a unique personal identification number, we linked these data to information on adult socioeconomic position from census data at 5-year intervals between 1970 and 2000, obtained from Statistics Finland.
  
  
  
  Compared to children of married mothers, children of unmarried mothers were more likely to have lower educational attainment and occupational status (odds ratio for basic vs. tertiary education 3.40; 95 % confidence interval 2.17 to 5.20; for lowest vs. highest occupational category 2.75; 1.92 to 3.95). They were also less likely to reach the highest income third in adulthood and more likely to stay unmarried themselves. The associations were also present when adjusted for childhood socioeconomic position.
  
  
  
  Being born to an unmarried mother, in a society where marriage is the norm, is associated with socioeconomic disadvantage throughout life, over and above the disadvantage associated with childhood family occupational status. This disadvantage may in part mediate the association between low childhood socioeconomic position and health in later life.
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Health and Welfare, P.O. Box 30, FI-00271, Helsinki, Finland. maiju.mikkonen@helsinki.fi.|Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland. maiju.mikkonen@helsinki.fi.
authors.forename: H Maiju
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Mikkonen
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Health and Welfare, P.O. Box 30, FI-00271, Helsinki, Finland.|Folkhälsan Research Centre, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Minna K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Salonen
authors.affiliation: Department of Political and Economic Studies, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Antti
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Häkkinen
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Health and Welfare, P.O. Box 30, FI-00271, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Maarit
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Olkkola
authors.affiliation: Institute of Behavioural Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Anu-Katriina
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Pesonen
authors.affiliation: Institute of Behavioural Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Katri
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Räikkönen
authors.affiliation: MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Clive
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Osmond
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Health and Welfare, P.O. Box 30, FI-00271, Helsinki, Finland.|Folkhälsan Research Centre, Helsinki, Finland.|Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.|Unit of General Practice, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.|Vaasa Central Hospital, Vaasa, Finland.
authors.forename: Johan G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Eriksson
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Health and Welfare, P.O. Box 30, FI-00271, Helsinki, Finland.|Children's Hospital, Helsinki University Central Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.|PEDEGO Research Unit, MRC Oulu, Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
authors.forename: Eero
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kajantie
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004651:Employment; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage; D009035:Mothers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011203:Poverty / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D020954:Single-Parent Family / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
keywords: Lifecourse; Marital status; Out of wedlock birth; Single mother; Single parent; Socioeconomic position; Unmarried mother