Parenting Practices of Resident Fathers: The Role of Marital and Biological Ties

Abstract

This paper uses data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study to examine differences in the parenting behaviors of resident biological and social fathers on measures of engagement, shared responsibility, and cooperation in parenting. Regression, difference-in-difference, and decomposition techniques are used. Results suggest that biological and social fathers differ significantly on most parenting measures (and in some unexpected ways), but that a considerable portion of these differences can be explained by differences in the background characteristics of the individuals and families in each group. Additionally, the analyses reveal a stronger link between marriage and higher-quality parenting behaviors for social-father families than for biological-father families.