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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Any questions?

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