Decision Making About Nonparental Child Care by Fathers: What Is Important to Fathers in a Nonparental Child Care Program

Abstract

While research exists on maternal preferences and decisions about child care, fathers are an underrepresented population in this literature. In an effort to fill this gap, this study examines the types of child care preferred, the level of involvement in the decision-making process, as well as the importance of certain characteristics of nonparental care in a sample of 130 fathers of children under the age of 6 years (6.2% of whom did not live with the child). Sixty-four percent of fathers in this sample indicated active involvement in making child care decisions with the child’s mother and 67% preferred parental care for their infants. Results for ratings, rankings, and conjoint analysis of the importance of certain characteristics of child care revealed slight variations depending on the method used to collect the data. Implications for these results are discussed.