Do Fathers Invest More in Sons?

Sara Raley, University of Maryland

Studies examining the relationship between marital stability and gender of child have garnered substantial interest over the past two decades. Researchers hypothesize that the increased propensity to divorce among couples with daughters relative to couples with sons can be explained by fathers’ differential involvement with sons. Despite increasing evidence in both the marital stability literature and the time with children literature that the nature of father involvement with sons and daughters has changed, the relationship between father involvement and gender of child has not been empirically examined in recent years. Using nationally representative time diary data collected in 2000, this paper empirically examines the relationship between a father’s involvement with his children and the gender composition of the sibship. Preliminary analyses suggest that fathers do not invest more time in their children when they have sons rather than daughters.