Abstract
AbstractUsing the cross-sectional Fathering after Union Dissolution in Lithuania survey data (2016), this chapter analyzes the quality of non-resident father-child relationships after a parental union dissolution. We assess the relationship quality perceived by fathers and focus on both positive elements such as intimacy and approval and negative ones such as conflict and child’s dominance in relationships. The influence of fathers’ resources such as their personal well-being, socio-economic resources, parenting practices and a family situation on relationship quality is also examined in the chapter. Following Smart (J Law Soc 18(4):485–500, 1991) we use the concepts of “caring for” and “caring about” specifically developed to describe the post-divorce father-child relationship quality. We make the hypotheses that fathers’ higher personal, socio-economic resources and involved parenting practices contribute positively to the “caring for” type of relationship, while limited resources contribute to the “caring about” type of relationships. Our findings demonstrate that the father-child relationship quality is associated with personal and parenting resources, while the effect of men’s socio-economic resources is not relevant if child-related characteristics are controlled. We also find the positive association between fathers’ re-partnering and new children and the quality of the relationships (less conflict and more paternal authority) with non-resident children.
Highlights
The rise in divorce and union dissolution reshaped the social arena of fathering; many fathers no longer live with their children (Andersson et al 2017)
We focus on the quality of non-resident father-child relationships after a parental union dissolution in order to identify the father-related factors that contribute to it
We investigate one Baltic country, i.e. Lithuania in which the post-divorce legislation is strongly oriented towards the father’s economic provider role, but it supports, to the very limited extent, his nurturing role and his right to care for children after family dissolution (Tereškinas and Maslauskaitė 2019)
Summary
The rise in divorce and union dissolution reshaped the social arena of fathering; many fathers no longer live with their children (Andersson et al 2017). Life in separate households poses substantial challenges for the continuity and quality of non- resident father-child relationships, which, in many cases, are beneficial for both father and children (Amato and James 2010). There exists a rather large body of research on non-resident fathering ( in the US and some European countries), it predominantly concerns the contact frequency and father involvement in child support (Amato and Dorius 2010). Researchers paid substantially less attention to the quality of non-resident father-child relationships that, as it has been proven, is more important for children in the post-divorce environment than the quantity of time spent together (Amato and Gilbreth 1999; King and Sobolewski 2006). We focus on the quality of non-resident father-child relationships after a parental union dissolution in order to identify the father-related factors that contribute to it. The nurturing role of father gained some importance and was reinforced by social policies oriented towards more gender equal parenting in families (Maslauskaitė and Tereškinas 2017)
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