Title

The Role of Fathers in Reducing Income-Based Inequalities in Children's Behavioral Outcomes

Author(s)

Lenna Nepomnyaschy Lenna Nepomnyaschy (Rutgers University)

Daniel Miller Daniel Miller (Boston University)

Maureen Waller Maureen Waller (Cornell University)

Sarah Gold Sarah Gold (Rutgers University)

Abstract

Low-income children have far worse academic and behavioral outcomes than their more affluent peers. Research suggests that fathers’ involvement with children can help improve these outcomes, but major social and economic changes have hampered low-income fathers' ability to be involved with their children. In this study, using data on 5, 9, and 15-year old children from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, we examine the extent to which father involvement (residence, engagement in activities, positive co-parenting, and material contributions) reduces inequality in behavioral outcomes (internalizing, externalizing and delinquent behaviors) between children in low and higher-income families. We follow a decomposition framework, exploring whether income-based differences in the levels of involvement or in the ‘effects’ of involvement can reduce differences in child outcomes. We control for an extensive set of factors, including outcomes at the prior wave, and estimate individual fixed effects models to account for unobserved differences between families.

Creation Date

2017

Section URL ID

Paper Number

WP17-18-FF

URL

https://fragilefamilies.princeton.edu/sites/fragilefamilies/files/wp17-18-ff-updated.pdf

File Function

Jel

J12, D31

Keyword(s)

Suppress

false

Series

8