Parenting as a “package deal”: Relationships, fertility, and nonresident father involvement among unmarried parents

Abstract

Fatherhood has traditionally been viewed as part of a "package deal" in which a father's relationship with his child is contingent on his relationship with the mother. We evaluate the accuracy of this hypothesis in light of the high rates of multiple-partner fertility among unmarried parents using the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a recent longitudinal survey of nonmarital births in large cities. We examine whether unmarried mothers' and fathers' subsequent relationship and parenting transitions are associated with declines in fathers' contact with their nonresident biological children. We find that father involvement drops sharply after relationships between unmarried parents end. Mothers 'transitions into new romantic partnerships and new parenting roles are associated with larger declines in involvement than fathers' transitions. Declines in fathers' involvement following a mother's relationship or parenting transition are largest when children are young. We discuss the implications of our results for the well-being of nonmarital children and the quality of nonmarital relationships faced with high levels of relationship instability and multiple-partner fertility.

Impact of a Group Prenatal Program for Pregnant Adolescents on Perceived Partner Support

“…Future studies to identify additional strategies to involve young fathers in adolescent prenatal programs are needed. The literature indicates involvement of unmarried young fathers diminishes over time, particularly if the parents' romantic relationship ends (Waller & Swisher, 2006;Tach, Mincy, & Edin, 2010). In our study, participants' romantic involvement with their partners showed no significant change from baseline to postpartum, although the proportion of adolescents living with their partners and the proportion of married couples significantly increased.…”

Nonresident Father Involvement With Children and Divorced Women's Likelihood of Remarriage

“…Our results cast some light on the notions that marriage is a “package deal” and that men “exchange children” when they remarry (Furstenberg & Cherlin, 1991; Tach, Mincy, & Edin, 2010). This idea is based on the assumption that men are connected to children primarily through their spouses and partners.…”

Child Support Receipt, Mobility, and Housing Quality

“…In Appendices 1 and 2, we estimate robustness models for Tables 7 and 8 respectively, adding a proxy for the presence of additional adults in the home to the full models. Child support receipt may be impacted if there is a new romantic partner in the home, as evidence suggests that non-custodial parent contact and payments to non-resident children is likely to decrease (Juby et al , 2007; Nepomnyaschy, 2007; Tach et al , 2010). New relationships may also motivate a family to move, thus we may be concerned that the presence of additional adults in the household is associated with both regularity and our housing outcomes.…”