Postconception Cohabitation, Household Environment, and Child Development

• In Event: 054 - Section on the Sociology of the Family Roundtable Session (one-hour).
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 17. Single Parent and Cohabiting Families

Abstract

Postconception cohabitations—cohabitations formed after the conception of a child but prior to birth— are an increasingly common response to nonmarital pregnancies, yet little is known about how children fare in this type of family structure. Using data from the Fragile Families Study, the current study examined associations between postconception cohabitation and several measures of the household environment and development of children ages 3-11. In terms of economic resources, father involvement, and family stability, children born to postconception cohabitors fared slightly better than children born to unpartnered parents, slightly worse than those born to pre- and postconception married parents, and similarly to those born to preconception cohabitors. Despite these differences in the household environment, children born to postconception cohabitors had similar behavior problems and cognitive test scores compared to children in all other family structures. Results suggest that although this normative and demographic shift is not associated with poorer child development, it may be linked to family instability and limited economic resources.

Author

• Jessica Houston Su, State University of New York-Buffalo