Fathers’ Paternity Leave-Taking and Children’s Perceptions of Father-Child Relationships in the United States

Paternity leave-taking is believed to benefit children by encouraging father-child bonding after a birth and enabling commitments to fathers’ engagement. Yet, no known U.S. studies have directly focused on the associations between paternity leave-taking and children’s reports of father-child relationships. Understanding the potential consequences of paternity leave-taking in the United States is particularly important given the lack of a national paid parental leave policy. The present study uses five waves of data on 1319 families, largely socioeconomically disadvantaged, from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study to analyze the associations between paternity leave-taking and 9-year-old children’s reports of their father-child relationships. We also assess the extent to which these associations are mediated by fathers’ engagement, co-parenting quality, parental relationship satisfaction, and fathers’ identities. Results indicate that leave-taking, and particularly 2 weeks or more of leave, is positively associated with children’s perceptions of fathers’ involvement, father-child closeness, and father-child communication. The associations are explained, at least in part, by fathers’ engagement, parental relationship satisfaction, and father identities. Overall, results highlight the linked lives of fathers and their children, and they suggest that increased attention on improving opportunities for parental leave in the United States may help to strengthen families by nurturing higher quality father-child relationships.

     

Is Urban Fathers’ Religion Important for Their Children’s Behavior?

Previous research suggests that many men increase their religious involvement after the birth of a new child. Using data on low-income urban fathers from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCW), this study extends this research by examining whether fathers maintain a higher rate of religious participation as children get older and how fathers’ religiosity may influence children’s behavior. Results suggest that although many urban fathers slightly increase their religious involvement after the birth of a child, most fathers attend religious services at a fairly consistent rate during the early years of their child’s life. Although there is only limited evidence suggesting that fathers’ religious involvement directly influences children’s behavior, there is evidence that fathers’ religiosity moderates the influence of other family characteristics on children; parental relationship quality and mothers’ religiosity are associated with fewer problem behaviors among children when fathers believe that religion is important to family life. Results also suggest that having a Black Protestant father is associated with fewer externalizing problem behaviors among young children. Overall, this study suggests that religion may be a source of support that encourages urban fathers to be engaged in their family life and promote positive development among children.     

Paternity Leave-Taking and Father Involvement among Socioeconomically Disadvantaged U.S. Fathers

Sex Roles - In the present study, we examine the associations between the amount of time that U.S. employed fathers took off from work after the birth of a child (i.e., paternity leave-taking) and...     

Miscarriage,Religious Participation,and Mental Health

Approximately 15–20 percent of pregnancies result in miscarriage, yet pregnancy loss remains a socially taboo topic and one that has received limited attention in the literature. Utilizing nationally representative longitudinal data from the NLSY97, this study examines the influence of miscarriage on mental health and whether this relationship is moderated by religious participation. Results from this study suggest that miscarriage is associated with lower mental health among women who also experience a live birth. Results also suggest that religious participation moderates the relationship between miscarriage and mental health; religion is more likely to lead to increases in mental health among women who experience a miscarriage than among women who do not experience a miscarriage. Overall, evidence suggests that religion may be an important coping mechanism for women who deal with pregnancy loss.     

Religious Variability in the Relationship Between Masculinity and Father Involvement

While traditional masculinity and fathering behaviors are seemingly associated, few studies have considered the conditions under which masculine norms may influence fathers’ behavior. Religiosity is an important factor to consider, given its association with both the endorsement of traditional gender attitudes and father involvement. This paper addresses the independent effects of traditional masculine norms and religiosity on fathering behaviors and considers whether religiosity moderates the relationship between masculinity and men's parenting behaviors. Using a national sample of fathers with children aged 2–17 in the United States, the results suggest that masculinity is negatively associated with father involvement, while religiosity is positively associated with father involvement. Yet, both highly masculine and highly religious fathers are more likely to engage in harsh discipline. Moreover, results suggest that religiosity attenuates the negative relationship between masculinity and active father involvement, while exacerbating the positive relationship between masculinity and harsh punishment.     

Variation in Masculinities and Fathering Behaviors: A Cross-National Comparison of the United States and Canada

Sex Roles - Research continues to examine the barriers to and facilitators of positive fathering behaviors. One area recently addressed by researchers focuses on the relationship between masculine...     

Trajectories of Religious Participation from Adolescence to Young Adulthood

Using a life course approach, this study examines trajectories of religious participation from early adolescence through young adulthood. Distinct patterns of religious participation are identified, providing insight into how trajectories are shaped by family and religious characteristics and demonstrating the influence of life events on changes in religious participation. The study employs a group-based method of trajectory analysis, identifying three trajectories of stable religious participation (nonattendance, occasional attendance, and frequent attendance) and three trajectories of change (early, late, and gradual declining attendance). Residing with two biological parents and in a religious family increases the likelihood that youth attend religious services throughout adolescence. Religious disaffiliation is associated with lower religious participation for youth in all trajectories; marriage, cohabitation, and religious switching/conversion are associated with changes in participation among youth in the frequent and occasional attendance trajectories only.     

Child Discipline and Conservative Protestantism: Why the Relationship Between Corporal Punishment and Child Behavior Problems May Vary by Religious Context

Using data on 1,214 families from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, this study explored why and under what conditions parental conservative Protestant affiliation moderates the relationship between corporal punishment and children??s problem behavior. Previous scholars suggest that children raised by conservative Protestants may be less likely to experience negative outcomes associated with corporal punishment due to (1) adherence to guidelines that may minimize the risk of harm from corporal punishment, and (2) corporal punishment being used as part of a consistent parenting strategy. This study extended previous research by testing these hypotheses. Overall, corporal punishment was associated with increased externalizing and internalizing problem behavior among children. However, there was some support for our hypotheses. Specifically, children raised by conservative Protestant parents were less likely to display problem behavior if only the father spanked and if the father spanked infrequently, and were less likely to display externalizing behavior only if both parents were conservative Protestant.