Fathers' Child Care and Children's Behavior Problems

Abstract

Fathers' primary family role is usually seen in terms of breadwinning, but with a majority of mothers of school-age and younger children holding jobs, there is increasing pressure on coresidential fathers to take on child care responsibilities. A seldom-asked question is whether fathers' greater child care actually makes a difference in children's outcomes. This longitudinal study addressed that issue by seeing how variation in fathers' reported child care of preschool children and of these same children when they were 5 years older was related to the number of older children's behavior problems. It appeared that among the 600 White, non-Hispanic, two-parent families that remained in the NSFH over two waves, fathers' active care of difficult-to-raise preschoolers was related to the children's having fewer problems as grade-schoolers, independently of mothers' care. The discussion covers these and other findings that go against conventional thinking.