Recent Research Reports and News: February
2003
Fathers—Research | Children
& Families | Fatbers/Mothers
in Prison | Census Data
| Systemic Barriers
| Welfare Reform
| NCOFF Abstracts
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Early Father Involvement in Fragile Families, (Working
Paper) Marcia Carlson and Sara McLanahan, Center for Research on
Child Wellbeing, revised November 2002.
Introduction (Exceprt):
A growing literature has explored the consequences
of father involvement for children, with an emerging consensus that
(positive) involvement by fathers is generally beneficial to child
wellbeing (Lamb, 1997; Marsiglio et al., 2000). Despite increasing
attention to the effects of father involvement for children overall,
involvement by fathers of children born outside of marriage has
been largely unexamined; most of the extant research has focused
on married or previously married fathers, or is limited to special
samples of unwed fathers such as teen fathers. Therefore, understanding
the factors associated with involvement by unmarried fathers—and
the consequences for children—is an important new area for
research. The Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study provides
a unique opportunity to examine this understudied group of fathers
using a large nationally-representative sample of nonmarital births.
In this paper, we use data from the Fragile Families Study to examine
five measures of
involvement by unmarried fathers around the time of a new child’s
birth. After briefly reviewing therelevant literature, we present
descriptive information about fathers’ characteristics and
their involvement.
Then, we present our multivariate analyses and note specific characteristics
that appear to be strongly
linked to greater father involvement. Finally, we discuss particular
methodological issues related to father
involvement using the Fragile Families data.
For a copy of the complete paper in PDF format, visit the CRCW
web site.
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How Do Fathers' Negative Behaviors Shape Relationships with
Their Children? (Working Paper), Maureen Waller and Amanda Bailey,
Center for Research on Child Wellbeing, September 2002.
CRCW Abstract:
Drawing on survey and qualitative interviews with mothers and
fathers who participated in the Oakland site of the Fragile Families
and Child Wellbeing study, this paper documents the prevalence of
violence, problematic drug or alcohol use, criminal activity, and
recent incarceration among fathers in the study and examines how these
issues are related to fathers? relationships with their children about
two and one-half years after having a non-marital birth. The survey
results show that about half of fathers are reported to have at least
one of the negative characteristics examined in this paper. We also
found that fathers with negative characteristics were generally less
likely than other fathers to have romantic relationships with the
mothers of their children, to be involved with their children, and
to be supporting them at 30 months, however, relationships between
individual behaviors and outcomes varied. Among parents who had ended
their romantic relationships, abusive fathers were less involved with
their children than other fathers. Qualitative evidence sheds light
on some of these findings by showing that mothers responded to fathers?
behaviors by leaving or threatening to leave him, by making a family
commitment with the father to end negative behaviors, and by limiting
fathers? access to children after the relationship ended. Fathers,
in turn, attempted to end negative behaviors, individually or as part
of a family commitment, fell back on these behaviors to support their
families, or withdrew from their children. Polices to promote increased
father involvement, particularly through marriage, should be mindful
that a notable share of fathers they are targeting have characteristics
that may not be conducive to increased engagement while other fathers
face personal and institutional barriers to involvement.
For a copy of the complete paper in PDF format, visit the CRCW
web site.
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Incarceration and the Bonds Among Parents in Fragile Families,
(Working Paper) Bruce Western, Leonard Lopoo, and Sara McLanahan,
Center for Research on Child Wellbeing, January 2003.
CRCW Abstract:
This paper utilizes the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study
to investigate if a father?s previous incarceration reduces the
stability in the relationship between parents who recently had a
child. Our results suggest that parents that were non-co-resident
at the time of the birth of their child are 19 percent less likely
to cohabit 12 months later if the father has been incarcerated.
Similarly, non-co-resident couples are 37 percent less likely to
be married 12 months after the birth of their child if the father
has been incarcerated.
For a copy of the complete paper in PDF format, visit the CRCW
web site.
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Understanding the Stick (or Is It the Carrot?): The Effect of Welfare
Beliefs on Family Formation Decisions, (Working Paper) Christina
Gibson, Center for Research on
Child Wellbeing, November 2002.
CRCW Abstract:
When welfare reform was passed in 1996, it loosened the restrictions
on the eligibility of two-parent families, making it easier for them
to qualify. Yet almost no attention has been paid to how low-income
parents understand the eligibility of couples, and if these beliefs
affect subsequent family formation decisions. In this paper, I analyze
the determinants and consequences of beliefs about the eligibility of
two-parent families, using a large survey of new, low-income mothers.
I find that the majority of mothers either do not know or do not believe
that two-parent families, especially those that are married, are eligible
for welfare. I also do not find that beliefs about two-parent eligibility
affect the decision to marry, and only influences cohabitation decisions
in cases where the mother?s partner has a very low income. I conclude
that beliefs about welfare are an important yet overlooked area of study,
and should be incorporated into future studies of welfare reform.
For a copy of the complete paper in PDF format, visit the CRCW
web site.
New Citations from NCOFF's
FatherLit Database
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