How is Early Adult Family Formation Related to Co-parenting in Mid-life? Comparing First-time and Stepfamilies

• In Event: 082 - Open Refereed Roundtable Session I
  In Refereed Roundtable: A. Table 12. Family I

Abstract

Family formation has become increasingly divers across developed societies moving away from a standardized family life cycle model that was prevalent in the 1950s and 1960s. Yet, little is known about the consequences of this diversity for family interactions. This paper examines the impact of women's family formation trajectories in early adulthood on coparenting later in life, a dimension that is crucial for child well-being. First-time families with two co-resident biological parents are compared to stepfamilies using data from 300 women in Switzerland. Findings from sequence analysis and regression models show that standard family formation trajectories of early marriage and motherhood are associated with high quality coparenting for women in first-time families, but lower quality coparenting for women in stepfamilies. Instead, women in stepfamilies are better equipped to navigate coparenting with the biological father after separation if they had more extensive experience of independent adult living before motherhood.

Authors

• Anette Eva Fasang, Humboldt University-Berlin

• Eric Widmer, University of Lausanne