Parental absence and student academic performance in cross-national perspective: Heterogeneous forms of family separation and the buffering possibilities of grandparents

Abstract

Many children around the world reside separately from one parent or both parents. Analyzing cross-national student performance and survey data, we investigate whether forms of family separation show distinctive associations with academic performance. Three findings emerge: 1) Students separated from both parents are most academically disadvantaged, while those living separately from mothers are usually more disadvantaged than those living without fathers. 2) In households with co-resident grandparents and in national contexts conducive to multi-generational or extended family co-residence, disadvantages associated with father-absent and dual-parent-absent households attenuate. 3) Academic disadvantages associated with parental absence attenuate as national emigration exceeds immigration.