Fathers’ Time off Work after the Birth of a Child and Relationship Dissolution among Socioeconomically Disadvantaged U.S. Families

ABSTRACT

Relationship dissolution is common among socioeconomically disadvantaged parents. This study utilizes longitudinal data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS) to assess whether fathers’ time off work after the birth of a child reduces the likelihood of parents dissolving their relationship. We also consider whether the association between fathers’ time off work and relationship dissolution is mediated by fathers’ support of mothers and moderated by union type. Results indicate that the risk of relationship dissolution is lower when fathers take time off work after the birth of a child. Results also suggest that longer periods of time off work (i.e., two or more weeks) are associated with a lower risk of relationship dissolution among married couples, although overall evidence for variations by union type are mixed. Additionally, there is evidence that the association between fathers’ time off work and relationship dissolution is at least partially explained by higher levels of relationship support among fathers who took time off work after the birth of a child. Overall, findings suggest that providing fathers with opportunities to take time off for the birth of a child may help to promote relationship stability among socioeconomically disadvantaged couples in the United States.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

¹ None of the state-level policies were in place when the data from this study was collected.

² In supplemental models, we included unemployed fathers and the main findings reported here remained consistent. These results are not included because employed fathers who did not take leave—by choice or by lack of access—are fundamentally different from unemployed fathers who did not take leave because they were not employed.

³ Data can be obtained at https://fragilefamilies.princeton.edu.

⁴ Fathers were also asked how many weeks of paid leave they received. Due to concerns about selection into paid leave, this is not a primary focus of this study. However, some analyses exploring variations between paid/unpaid time off work are presented in Table A3.

⁵ Additional analyses separated out fathers who took two and more than two weeks off work (N = 148; 7percent of sample). Variations by union type were consistent with those presented. Given previous studies and concerns about selection, we combine these categories here.

⁶ Time-varying indicators of union type were included in supplementary models, and results were consistent with those presented. W1 estimates are used to indicate union type at the time that fathers take time off work. We include separate indicators for cohabiting and romantically involved parents given differing rates of union transitions and relationship support between these union types (Bzostek and Berger 2017; Carlson and VanOrman 2017).

⁷ All time-varying predictor variables are lagged to maintain proper temporal ordering (e.g., W2 relationship support predicting dissolution at W3).

⁸ We utilize the items about support that were consistently asked in all waves. Other variables such as father involvement with children and how often fathers coparent with mothers are available starting at W2. Results from supplemental models using these measures were largely consistent with those presented. These additional measures are not shown due to time ordering concerns (i.e., no information at W1).

⁹ Relationship support is not included in these models to better assess potential interaction effects that involve the total association between fathers’ time off work and relationship dissolution. The results are almost identical when relationship support is included (not shown here).

¹⁰ Less than 4percent of cases include missing data (with the exception of fathers’ income—7percent of cases are missing).

¹¹ Mediation analyses do not include IPTW; the KHB method does not allow for weights. However, as shown in Table A1, results are largely consistent between weighted and unweighted models.

¹² Because there are clear concerns about selection effects, we conducted sensitivity analyses to test for the possibility of selection. Specifically, we compared our results to models that do not include IPTW and also examined alternative selection models: propensity score matching (to assess selection on time off work) and augmented inverse propensity weighted estimators, which is a variation of propensity score matching in which multiple treatments can be used (to assess selection on length of time off). Estimates are presented in the appendix (Table A1). Although there are some variations across model estimates, results consistently show that fathers’ time off work is associated with a lower risk of relationship dissolution and also that taking two or more weeks off work is associated with a lower risk of dissolution compared to not taking time off.

¹³ Although the average marginal effect of two weeks off work (compared to no time off work) on reducing the risk of relationship dissolution does not differ significantly between married and cohabiting couples (Table A2), the average marginal effect is four times higher for married couples (0.08) compared to cohabiting couples (0.02).

Additional information

Funding

Research was supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R03HD087875;National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) [R03HD087875];

Notes on contributors

Richard J. Petts

Richard J. Petts is a professor of sociology at Ball State University. His research focuses on family inequalities, including a recent emphasis on parental leave as a policy and practice that can reduce gender inequality and improve family well-being. His recent research has been published in Social Forces, Journal of Marriage and Family, Sex Roles, Journal of Social Policy, and Community, Work & Family.

Daniel L. Carlson

Daniel L. Carlson is an associate professor of Family, Health, and Policy in the Department of Family and Consumer Studies at the University of Utah. His research focuses, generally, on the causes and consequences of variation in family formation and family processes. His recent research has been published in Gender & Society, Journal of Marriage and Family, Journal of Social Policy, and Social Science Research.

Chris Knoester

Chris Knoester is an associate professor in the Department of Sociology at The Ohio State University. His research interests include examining the reciprocal influences between parents and their children, with a specific focus on how children affect men’s lives. He has also explored how parenting is related to feelings of well-being, with a specific focus on fathers. His work can be found in journals such as Journal of Marriage and Family, Journal of Family Issues, Sex Roles, and Social Forces.