1. Fathers in the UK Millennium Cohort Study EUCCONET Workshop Vienna 24 February 2010 Lisa Calderwood Sub-brand to go here CLS is an ESRC Resource Centre.
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Fathers in the UK Millennium Cohort Study
EUCCONET WorkshopVienna 24 February 2010
Lisa Calderwood
Sub-brand to go here
CLS is an ESRC Resource Centre based at the Institute of Education
Context
• Increasing recognition of the role of fathers – as more than a ‘breadwinner’ - in children’s lives over last 30 years
• But it has also become increasingly common for children to:
– live apart from their biological father e.g. proportion of children in UK living in lone parent families increased from 9% in 1972 to 24% in 2006 (ONS, 2007)
– live with step-father e.g. 10% of all families with dependent children were step-families in 2005 (ONS, 2007)
UK Millennium Cohort Study(MCS)• Longitudinal birth cohort study following over
19,000 children born in the UK in 2000/2001• Four sweeps so far at 9 months, 3 years, 5 years
and 7 years• Funded by ESRC and UK government departments• Over sampled places in Scotland, Wales, Northern
Ireland, areas with high child poverty and in England areas with higher minority ethnic populations.
• One of four British Birth Cohort Studies
Fathers in the MCS
• Personal interviews with co-residential fathers as well as mothers at every sweep– Broad definition of ‘fathers’ to include step, foster,
adoptive and ‘partners of mother’ – Broad definition of ‘co-residential’ to include ‘part-
time’ resident fathers – Good response from co-residential fathers –
approx 9 in 10 interviewed • Data collected about non-resident fathers during the
interview with mother – but no data collected directly from non-resident fathers
This presentation includes....
• Evidence from MCS on proportion of children living with biological and step-fathers at 9 months and how this changes over first 5 years
• Evidence from MCS about involvement of non-resident fathers with 9 month and 5 year old children
• Experience from four international cohort studies about collecting data from non-resident fathers and reflections on this
• Evidence from two British cohort studies about how the involvement of resident fathers with their 5 year old children has changed over the past 30 years
Fathers at MCS1 (9 months)
• Vast majority (86%) of children lived with their biological father (as well as their biological mother)
• Almost none (0.2%) lived with a step-father • Evidence of involvement of non-resident biological fathers
– Relationship with mother: 50% ‘closely involved’, 14% ‘just friends’, 29% ‘not in any relationship’ and 7% ‘separated/divorced’
– 56% jointly registered birth and 44% fathers at the birth– 31% in frequent contact (3 or more times a week), 33%
in less frequent contact, 36% not in any contact – 33% made maintenance payments– Frequency of contact related to parent’s relationship
Fathers at MCS3 (5 years)
• Vast majority (77%) of children still lived with their biological father (as well as their biological mother)
• Almost one in five (4%) lived with a step-father
• Evidence of involvement of non-resident biological fathers– 21% in frequent contact (3 or more times a week), 51%
in less frequent contact, 28% not in any contact – 46% made maintenance payments– Frequency of contact strongly related to parent’s
relationship status
Losing a biological father between 9 months and 5 years
Both natural parents
Both natural parents
(88%)
Lone natural mother
(10%)
Natural mother and step-father
(2%)
Gaining a father between 9 months and 5 years
Lone natural mother
Both natural parents
(20%)
Lone natural mother
(68%)
Natural mother and step-father
(12%)
Why collect data from non-resident fathers in a cohort study?
• ‘Good’ reasons– Fathers have a ‘right’ to participate – To gauge their impact on child development – fathers
who are not ‘involved’ with child cannot be influencing their development (except through genetics and economic contribution)
– Possible bias in mother’s reports and limitations on what can be reported by proxy
• ‘Bad’ reasons– To make statements about the population of non-resident
fathers
Experience of collecting data from non-resident fathers in MCS
• Included in pilot for Age 5 Survey but not included in main stage due to poor response
– Target sample: ‘involved’ NR fathers– Postal survey, no incentive– 77% mothers gave contact details– 18% NR fathers responded – 14% overall response rate
Experience of collecting data from non-resident fathers in Growing Up in Ireland
• 10,500 children aged 9 months in 2008/9• Wave 1 (9 months): postal survey, no incentive, all
NR fathers eligible – 33% mothers gave contact details and
permission– 32% NR fathers responded – 10% overall response rate
Experience of collecting data from non-resident fathers in Growing Up in Australia
• 5000 children aged 0-1 in 2003/4• Wave 1 (9 months): not attempted (poor response in pilot)• Wave 2 (2-3 years): postal survey, no incentive, NR fathers
who see child once a year – 70% mothers gave contact details– 35% NR fathers responded – 24% overall response rate
• Wave 3 (4-5 years): telephone survey, no incentive, NR fathers who see child once a year – 85% mothers gave contact details– 78% NR fathers responded– 66% overall response rate
Experience of collecting data from non-resident fathers in Fragile Families and Child Well-Being Study
• 5000 children born in large US cities between 1998-2000
• Families recruited in hospital at time of birth, mother’s asked to identify the father of the child
• Fathers interviewed either in person at hospital or by telephone (some also at father’s home)
• 89% co-resident fathers interviewed at baseline compared with 60% of non-resident fathers
• Both parents given $20 incentive and both parents given an additional $5 if father interview completed at hospital
How would we recruit non-resident fathers in a new cohort study?
• Recruit non-resident fathers as early as possible and, if possible, independently of mother
• Place greater emphasis on importance of participation of both parents, regardless of co-residence (recruiting ‘family’ not mother and child)
• Attempt to recruit and interview NR fathers by ‘best’ affordable method i.e. in person, telephone
• Track both parents independently of each other • Consider incentives for NR fathers
Resident fathers involvement in MCS3 (Age 5)• Reading to child: 1 in 7 fathers read to child every day
and 8 in 10 once a week or more
• Playing sports or physically active games: 8 in 10 fathers did this once a week or more
• Taking child to park or playground: 5 in 10 father did this at least once a week
• Putting child to bed: 9 in 10 fathers did this at least once a week (compared to 5 in 10 fathers 30 years ago)
• Looking after child on own: 7 in 10 fathers did this at least once a week (compared to 1 in 3 fathers 30 years ago)
This presentation concludes....
• Fathers – both resident and non-resident – are an important part of children’s lives
• But the complexities of family life in the 21st century present challenges for birth cohort studies
• Perhaps one ‘solution’ may be to move away from the ‘traditional’ focus on the ‘household’ as unit of data collection and analysis?
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