After Great Recession, More Married Fathers Providing Child Care

Abstract

Using the Survey of Income and Program Participation, this brief examines changes in father-provided child care among married fathers with an employed wife. Author Kristin Smith reports that the share of married fathers providing care to their children under age 15 while their mother worked rose from 27 percent in 2005 to 31 percent in 2011. The rise in father-provided child care was driven primarily by the rise in child care provided by black and Hispanic fathers. Between 2005 and 2011, the shares of rural and urban married fathers providing child care began to diverge. In 2005, rural and urban married fathers were equally likely to provide care to their children. By 2011, the share of urban married fathers providing care had risen by 4 percentage points, while rural fathers\u27 care provision remained the same. The results presented in this brief demonstrate that the share of married fathers who provide care to their children increased during the Great Recession. Married-couple families adapted to husbands\u27 job loss by increasing their reliance on fathers as caregivers