Creating an Annotated Bibliography

The authors have advanced degrees in their fields: Waite has a PhD in Sociology and is the current director of the Center of Aging at N.O.R.C, Goldscheider has a PhD in Demography and is Professor Emerita at both Brown University and the University of Maryland, and Witsberger has an MpH in Biostatistics and is a Senior Research Analyst at Kennel and Associates; their backgrounds and degrees suggest that they are especially suited for writing an article about this topic as they are most likely authorities on their chosen topic. This article is meant for an academic audience, not necessarily undergraduates as the article is very field specific and uses very difficult jargon, but for graduate students and academics researching in their field; graduate students or professionals in the field would understand the terms and language that the writers use with little difficulty, but the average reader would most likely need to research some of the terms the authors use. They use data from the National Longitudinal Surveys of Young Women and Young Men to test their hypothesis that nonfamily living by young adults alters their attitudes, values, plans, and expectations, thus moving them away from their beliefs in traditional sex roles. They find their hypothesis strongly supported in young females, while the effects were fewer in studies of young males. Their study found that increasing the time away from parents before getting married helped improve individualism, self-sufficiency, and changes in attitudes about families within young adults. The article by Smith, Joyce, and Reed touched on this topic in a minor way; it said that young adults who only live at home only understand the roles they see their parents have in the house and may not understand that these roles are flexible. On the other hand, the speech by Kim claims that college students who live with roommates have a better understanding of gender role flexibility as they are more likely to share “gendered” roles in their home. Finally, this article will help me support the main argument of my essay since it shows that our understanding of gender can change even as far as young adulthood. It argues that we become aware of gender roles and how not all families have the same roles in the home or may have gender flexibility in roles, which my essay also argues. Without this article, it would be difficult for me to prove my main point.