June 2017
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Father involvement has increased dramatically over the past several decades, and simultaneously, the role of fathers in their families has evolved from conceptions of fathers as distant breadwinners to a more holistic recognition that they are equal co-parents. Accompanying these changes has been a growing interest among researchers in studying the role that fathers play in the lives of their children. Below are some highlights of the current landscape of what the research says about today’s dads.
![]() 1. INVOLVED DADS HAVE A DIRECT IMPACT ON THEIR CHILDREN’S FUTURE. Involved fatherhood is linked to better outcomes on nearly every measure of child wellbeing, from cognitive development and educational achievement to self-esteem and pro-social behavior.1 Children who grow up with involved fathers are: 39% more likely to earn mostly A’s in school, 45% less likely to repeat a grade, 60% less likely to be suspended or expelled from school, twice as likely to go to college and find stable employment after high school, 75% less likely to have a teen birth, and 80% less likely to spend time in jail.2 Share these stats illustrated in our Dads Make a Big Difference infographic. |
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Click for more on CFRP’s Research on Fatherhood.
Citations
1 Rosenberg, Jeffrey, and Wilcox, W. Bradford. United States Department of Health and Human Services. Administration for Children and Families. Child Welfare Information Gateway. The Importance of Fathers in the Healthy Development of Children. Office on Child Abuse and Neglect, U.S. Childrenâs Bureau, 2006. Retrieved from https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/usermanuals/fatherhood/chaptertwo.cfm; Bronte-Tinkew, Jacinta et al. Involvement Among Resident Fathers and Links to Infant Cognitive Outcomes. Journal of Family Issues. Volume 29 Number 9. September, 2008. 1211-1244.; Cabrera, N. J., Shannon, J. D., & Tamis-LeMonda, C. (2007). Fathersâ Influence on Their Childrenâs Cognitive and Emotional Development: From Toddlers to Pre-K. Applied Developmental Science, 11(4), 208-213; Black, M. M., Dubowitz, H., & Starr, R. H., Jr. (1999). African American Fathers in Low-Income, Urban Families: Development, Behavior, and Home Environment of Their Three-Year-Old Children. Child Development, 70 (4), 967-978.; Carlson, Marcia J. and Katherine Magnuson. (2011) Low-Income Fathersâ Influence on Children. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. 635:95. 95-116.; Carlson, Marcia J., Sara S. McLanahan, and Jeanne Brooks-Gunn. (2007, September) Fathersâ Involvement and Young Childrenâs Behavior in Fragile Families. Extended Abstract.; Carlson, Marcia J., Sara S. McLanahan. (2009, May 11) Fathers in Fragile Families. Center for Research on Child Wellbeing. Working Paper WP09-14-FF.; Harris, Kathleen Mullan, Frank F. Furstenberg, and Jeremy K. Marmer. (1998). Paternal involvement with adolescents in intact families: The influence of fathers over the life course. Demography. 35 (2), 201-216.; Carlson, M. J. (2006), Family Structure, Father Involvement, and Adolescent Behavioral Outcomes. Journal of Marriage and Family, 68: 137â154. 2 Rosenberg, Jeffrey, and Wilcox, W. Bradford. United States Department of Health and Human Services. Administration for Children and Families. Child Welfare Information Gateway. The Importance of Fathers in the Healthy Development of Children. Office on Child Abuse and Neglect, U.S. Childrenâs Bureau, 2006. Retrieved from https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/usermanuals/fatherhood/chaptertwo.cfm; Bronte-Tinkew, Jacinta et al. Involvement Among Resident Fathers and Links to Infant Cognitive Outcomes. Journal of Family Issues. Volume 29 Number 9. September, 2008. 1211-1244.; Cabrera, N. J., Shannon, J. D., & Tamis-LeMonda, C. (2007). Fathersâ Influence on Their Childrenâs Cognitive and Emotional Development: From Toddlers to Pre-K. Applied Developmental Science, 11(4), 208-213; Black, M. M., Dubowitz, H., & Starr, R. H., Jr. (1999). African American Fathers in Low-Income, Urban Families: Development, Behavior, and Home Environment of Their Three-Year-Old Children. Child Development, 70 (4), 967-978.; Carlson, Marcia J. and Katherine Magnuson. (2011) Low-Income Fathersâ Influence on Children. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. 635:95. 95-116.; Carlson, Marcia J., Sara S. McLanahan, and Jeanne Brooks-Gunn. (2007, September) Fathersâ Involvement and Young Childrenâs Behavior in Fragile Families. Extended Abstract.; Carlson, Marcia J., Sara S. McLanahan. (2009, May 11) Fathers in Fragile Families. Center for Research on Child Wellbeing. Working Paper WP09-14-FF.; Harris, Kathleen Mullan, Frank F. Furstenberg, and Jeremy K. Marmer. (1998). Paternal involvement with adolescents in intact families: The influence of fathers over the life course. Demography. 35 (2), 201-216.; Carlson, M. J. (2006), Family Structure, Father Involvement, and Adolescent Behavioral Outcomes. Journal of Marriage and Family, 68: 137â154. 3 Osborne, C., Dillon, D., Winter Craver, J., and Hovey, I. (2016). Making good on fatherhood; A review of the fatherhood program research. Child and Family Research Partnership Report. Retrieved from: http://childandfamilyresearch.org/content/uploads/CFRPReport_R0070116_MakingGoodonFathers.pdf