The effect of social fathers on the cognitive skills of out-of-wedlock children in the U.S

Kwok Ho Chan, Ka Wai Terence Fung

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

There are two competing views regarding the presence of social fathers on childrens’ cognitive ability: (1) either the social father provides more financial resources which benefit the children or (2) the mother with new partners may shift the focus away from the children. Previous research focused on older children or adolescents and ignored the self-selection problem. We use data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS), and a sample of younger children. Using propensity score matching method (nonparametric methods), we find that children with social fathers scored around three points less in a cognitive ability test than children living only with biological mothers (assuming that self-selection is based on observables). The result remains robust when using a control-function analysis (parametric method).

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)146-159
Number of pages14
JournalEconomics and Human Biology
Volume28
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Feb 2018
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Child welfare
  • Family structure
  • Fragile families
  • Non-marital childbearing

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