Does Fatherhood Matter for Men?

Ignored in the flurry of new research on fathers is that fatherhood may have consequences for men. This article explores possible effects on the lives and well-being of men for a range of fatherhood experiences. Data are drawn from the National Survey of Families and Households. The first part of th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of marriage and family 2001-05, Vol.63 (2), p.381-393
Main Authors: Eggebeen, David J., Knoester, Chris
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Administrator Surveys
Adopted children
Child growth
Child Rearing
Children
Divorce
divorced fathers
Drug Use
Evidence
Experience
Family
Family life
Family relations
Family Relationship
Father Attitudes
Fatherhood
Fathering
Fathers
Life Satisfaction
Lifestyles
Longitudinal Studies
Males
Men
men's well-being
National Survey of Families and Households
National Surveys
nonresident fatherhood
Parent Child Relations
Parent Child Relationship
Parent Role
Parenthood
Physical Health
Psychology
Sex Role
Sexuality. Marriage. Family relations
Social life & customs
Social Networks
Social psychology
Sociology
Sociology of the family. Age groups
State Surveys
Stepfamily
United States of America
Wellbeing
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Summary:Ignored in the flurry of new research on fathers is that fatherhood may have consequences for men. This article explores possible effects on the lives and well-being of men for a range of fatherhood experiences. Data are drawn from the National Survey of Families and Households. The first part of this article examines whether men's varied associations with children (no children, coresident, non-coresident, and stepfatherhood) are associated with men's psychological health and behavior, social connections, intergenerational family relations, and work behavior. We found strong evidence that fathers differ from nonfathers in their social connections, family relationships, and work behavior. There is significant variation in effects among the father types as well. The second section of this article focuses attention only on men who are fathers and examines whether fathering behavior (e.g., the amount of time and nature of the activities that fathers are reported to be spending with their children) is associated with men's well-being. The effects of father involvement on men was found to be most significant for those who were living with their own children.
ISSN:0022-2445
1741-3737
DOI:10.1111/j.1741-3737.2001.00381.x