<\/p>\n
We know from<\/span>\u00a0both<\/span>\u00a0research and real<\/span>–<\/span>life<\/span>\u00a0experience<\/span>\u00a0that there is a link between the father-mother relationship and how\u00a0<\/span>involved<\/span>\u00a0the father is\u00a0<\/span>in caring for his<\/span>\u00a0child. When\u00a0<\/span>couples<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>coparent<\/span>\u00a0well \u2013 working as a team with good communication and valuing and respecting each other\u2019s role \u2013 fathers tend to be more involved\u00a0<\/span>in caring for\u00a0<\/span>their<\/span>\u00a0children<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>Though\u00a0<\/span>it\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>challenging, positive\u00a0<\/span>c<\/span>oparenting<\/span>\u00a0can continue even after a romantic relationship has ended or if the parents live apart.<\/span><\/p>\n Parenting is<\/span>\u00a0part of<\/span>\u00a0a family system. Every relationship influences every other relationship.<\/span>\u00a0For example, the quality of\u00a0<\/span>a<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>couple\u2019s relationship influences fathering over time<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n Because\u00a0<\/span>these things\u00a0<\/span>tend to go together, r<\/span>esearchers have asked the chicken-and-egg question: what comes first? Does positive\u00a0<\/span>coparenting<\/span>\u00a0lead to more father\u00a0<\/span>involvement<\/span>\u00a0or does more father\u00a0<\/span>involvement\u00a0<\/span>lead to positive\u00a0<\/span>coparenting<\/span>?<\/span><\/p>\n In\u00a0<\/span>recent\u00a0<\/span>research<\/span>\u00a0from\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>USA<\/span>, mothers and fathers<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>in\u00a0<\/span>3,464 couples<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>were asked\u00a0<\/span>at\u00a0<\/span>three\u00a0<\/span>different\u00a0<\/span>times to assess the quality of\u00a0<\/span>coparenting<\/span>\u00a0and the extent of father\u00a0<\/span>involve<\/span>ment \u2013 when the child was one, three,\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0<\/span>five. The researchers then applied a sophi<\/span>sticated statistical analysis to find links.<\/span><\/p>\n They found\u00a0<\/span>that<\/span>\u00a0both\u00a0<\/span>coparenting<\/span>\u00a0and father\u00a0<\/span>involve<\/span><\/a>ment at one point\u00a0<\/span>in a child\u2019s life\u00a0<\/span>predict more of each other at a later time point, with some interesting details.<\/span><\/p>\n If either the mother or father report<\/span>ed<\/span>\u00a0better\u00a0<\/span>coparenting<\/span>\u00a0at one time point, then both parents report<\/span>ed<\/span>\u00a0more father\u00a0<\/span>involve<\/span>ment at the next time point. However, the link between a\u00a0<\/span>mother\u2019s<\/span>\u00a0report of\u00a0<\/span>coparenting<\/span>\u00a0and a\u00a0<\/span>father\u2019<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0later report of\u00a0<\/span>involve<\/span>ment, and\u00a0<\/span>vice versa,\u00a0<\/span>was\u00a0<\/span>only found for\u00a0<\/span>resident<\/span>\u00a0couples.\u00a0<\/span>The researchers speculate that perhaps non-residence is a barrier between effective\u00a0<\/span>coparenting<\/span>\u00a0and later\u00a0<\/span>father\u00a0<\/span>involve<\/span>ment<\/span>\u00a0in care.<\/span><\/p>\n If either the mother or father reported more father\u00a0<\/span>involve<\/span>ment at one point, then both parents reported more positive\u00a0<\/span>coparenting<\/span>\u00a0at the next point<\/span>. There was<\/span>\u00a0one exception<\/span>:<\/span>\u00a0When\u00a0<\/span>fathers<\/span>\u00a0reported they were more\u00a0<\/span>involve<\/span>d when the child was one year old,\u00a0<\/span>mothers<\/span>\u00a0were on average\u00a0<\/span>less<\/span>\u00a0likely to report positive\u00a0<\/span>coparenting<\/span>\u00a0two years later. One possible explanation for this is that fathers are overestimating the level of their\u00a0<\/span>involve<\/span>ment<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0and this lack of agreement between the parents may\u00a0<\/span>later\u00a0<\/span>lead to\u00a0<\/span>a\u00a0<\/span>less\u00a0<\/span>favourable<\/span>\u00a0assessment\u00a0<\/span>of\u00a0<\/span>coparenting<\/span>\u00a0on\u00a0<\/span>the mother<\/span>\u2019s part<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n This research builds on earlier evidence of influences in both directions. Studies have shown that when mothers do not support\u00a0<\/span>coparenting<\/span>, fathers\u00a0<\/span>engage<\/span>\u00a0less with their infants. Positive\u00a0<\/span>coparenting<\/span>\u00a0is also a robust predictor of nonresident fathers\u2019 future involvement.\u00a0<\/span>Similarly<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0there is evidence that when fathers\u00a0<\/span>are more\u00a0<\/span>involve<\/span>d<\/span>\u00a0in caring, the<\/span>ir<\/span>\u00a0relationship with the\u00a0<\/span>child\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>mother is better.<\/span><\/p>\n The<\/span>\u00a0new research<\/span>\u00a0from\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>USA<\/span>\u00a0involved<\/span>, 3<\/span>,<\/span>464 couples<\/span>;<\/span>\u00a042% of the fathers were\u00a0<\/span>black<\/span>, 28<\/span>%<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>were white\u00a0<\/span>and 25%\u00a0<\/span>were\u00a0<\/span>Hispanic.\u00a0<\/span>The study focused primarily on unmarried couples in large\u00a0<\/span>American<\/span>\u00a0cities.\u00a0<\/span>Between the first measurement (child one year old) and third measurement (<\/span>age five<\/span>)<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>the quality of\u00a0<\/span>couple\u00a0<\/span>relationship<\/span>s\u00a0<\/span>declined<\/span>\u00a0overall<\/span>. The proportion of\u00a0<\/span>coresident<\/span>\u00a0couples drop<\/span>ped<\/span>\u00a0from 65% to 50%, and the proportion of parents in a romantic relationship dropped from 40% to 18%.\u00a0<\/span>Also<\/span>\u00a0over this period, the level of father\u00a0<\/span>involve<\/span>ment dropped off, according to both mothers and fathers.<\/span><\/p>\n Coparenting<\/span>\u00a0was measured by asking each parent questions like \u201c<\/span>does the\u00a0<\/span>mother\/father support the way you want to raise your child?\u201d, \u201c<\/span>does the\u00a0<\/span>mother\/father talk with you about problems with raising your child?\u201d and \u201c<\/span>does the\u00a0<\/span>mother\/father respect your rules for the child?\u201d. Father\u00a0<\/span>involve<\/span>ment was measured by asking about activities like reading\/telling stories, playing inside the house and singing with the child.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0Fagan J &\u00a0<\/span>Palkovitz<\/span>\u00a0R (2019),\u00a0<\/span>Coparenting<\/span>\u00a0and father engagement among low-income parents: actor-partner interdependence model<\/span><\/a>, Journal of Family Psychology\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nBetter\u00a0<\/span>coparenting<\/span>\u00a0predicts more father\u00a0<\/span>involve<\/span>ment later<\/span><\/h2>\n
More father\u00a0<\/span>involve<\/span>ment predicts better\u00a0<\/span>coparenting<\/span>\u00a0later<\/span><\/h2>\n
References<\/h4>\n