equity value was $36,658 (Angel and Angel, 1996). These findings suggest that African

American women may be forced either to remain in the labor force to maintain a

continuing source of income, or to delay retirement in order to accumulate wealth for

later consumption during the retirement years.

 Race, Family Characteristics, and Retirement Behavior

 Race differences in family circumstances are also expected to contribute to racial

disparities in retirement. African American women are less likely than White women to

be married, and among married women, African American women are less likely to have

a retired spouse (Brown and Pienta, 2002). Thus, given that unmarried women and

women with a spouse in the labor force a re less likely to be retired than married women

with a retired spouse (Henretta and O'Rand, 1983; Henretta, O'Rand and Chan, 1993a;

Henretta, O'Rand and Chan, 1993b), African American women should retire later. Earlier

family circumstances also impact retirement behavior (Brown and Pienta, 2002). Family

roles in early adulthood constitute initial pathways in the family life course that constrain

later work-related roles (O'Rand, Henretta, and Krecker, 1992). Compared to White

women of the 1931-1941 birth cohort, their African American counterparts are much

more likely to have experienced either a non-marital first birth or post-marital single

motherhood (Brown and Pienta, 2002). Therefore, we attended to the role of racial

differences in early family histories in contributing to racial differences in work and

family circumstances and ultimately retirement behavior of African American and White

women.

 Race, Work Characteristics, and Retirement Behavior

 African American women's work histories may mediate the effects of their

disadvantaged familial and economic circumstances on retirement. Compared to White