Racial and Ethnic Diversity in Nonresident Father Involvement

• Published in: Journal of marriage and family Vol. 66; no. 1; pp. 1 - 21
• Main Authors: King, Valarie, Harris, Kathleen Mullan, Heard, Holly E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Malden National Council on Family Relations 01.02.2004; Blackwell Publishing; Blackwell; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: Access to Information; Adolescents; Adults; African Americans; Child Rearing; Child Welfare; Children; Cognitive Development; Community Relations; Community Resources; Cultural Capital; Cultural Differences; Divorce; Enrollment; Ethnic Diversity; Ethnic Groups; Ethnicity; Family; Family Structure; Family studies; Father Absence; Fatherhood; Fatherless Family; Fathers; Hispanics; Longitudinal Studies; Marital Instability; Marriage; Married persons; Minority Groups; Modeling; Mothers; Multiculturalism & pluralism; Nonresidents; Parent Child Relations; Parent Child Relationship; Parent Education; Parent Influence; Parent Participation; Parenthood; Parents & parenting; Race; Racial Differences; Seltzer; Sexuality. Marriage. Family relations; Social Capital; Socioeconomic Status; Sociology; Sociology of the family; Sociology of the family. Age groups; United States of America; Well Being; Wellbeing; United States Of America; United States > US; Divorce; Ethnicity; Father; Child; Race
• ISSN: 0022-2445; 1741-3737
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1741-3737.2004.00001.x

This study is the first to examine racial and ethnic diversity in nonresident father involvement for multiple domains of father involvement. Data come from a sample of 5,377 adolescents with nonresident fathers in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). In addition to contact, we explore more intensive types of involvement and qualities of the father-child relationship that tap key dimensions of social capital found to be especially important in promoting child well-being. We find racial/ethnic differences for many aspects of father involvement, some of which can be explained by structural differences, especially father's education and nonmarital childbearing. Our findings suggest that White youth with less educated fathers experience the greatest loss of social capital by living apart from their fathers.