Fathers in Fragile Families: How Involved Are They, and Does It Matter for Children?

Marcia Carlson, Columbia University
Jeanne Brooks-Gunn, Columbia University

This paper uses new data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study to describe the involvement of unmarried fathers with their one-year-old children and to analyze how father involvement is linked with child wellbeing. A descriptive portrait of resident and nonresident fathers is presented with respect to their social, demographic and economic characteristics, as well as their involvement with children. Then, regression models are estimated to predict child outcomes in several domains as a function of father involvement, controlling for a range of key independent variables, including fathers’ residential status and the quality of parents’ relationship. Finally, implications of the findings for research and public policy are discussed.