Repackaging Fatherhood: Father Involvement and Coparenting in Mid-Pregnancy Relationships

• In Event: 2266 - Family Section Roundtables (1 hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: 5. Fathering, Coparenting, and the Effects of Criminal Justice and State Involvement

Abstract

Responses to nonmarital pregnancies have shifted in recent decades; mid-pregnancy (“shotgun”) marriage has declined, while mid-pregnancy cohabitation has increased. These trends raise questions about the family “package deal,” and create ambiguity about fathers’ roles and connections to their children. Using data from both mothers and fathers in the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, this study examines how the timing and structure of parents’ residential relationships are associated with father involvement and coparenting. Mothers in residential relationships, including both mid-pregnancy marriages and mid-pregnancy cohabitations, reported more co-parenting and father involvement than those not living with their child’s father at the birth. By contrast, fathers in mid-pregnancy relationships reported coparenting similar to nonresident parents. Because coparenting is a couple-level process, fathers in mid-pregnancy relationships may perceive a weaker connection with mothers. Furthermore, fathers in mid-pregnancy cohabitations were more engaged with their children than fathers in pre-pregnancy cohabitations. These results suggest that fathers in mid-pregnancy cohabitations may be more committed to the parenting role than the romantic relationship. This study joins research suggesting that the traditional package deal may be shifting.

Authors

• Jessica Houston Su, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

• Allison Dwyer Emory, University at Buffalo