Number 71 n December 20, 2013
Fathers’ Involvement With Their Children:
United States, 2006–2010
by Jo Jones, Ph.D., and William D. Mosher, Ph.D., Division of Vital Statistics
Abstract
Objective—This report measures fathers’ involvement with their children.
Father involvement is measured by how often a man participated in a set of
activities in the last 4 weeks with children who were living with him and with
children who were living apart from him. Involvement is measured separately for
children aged 0–4 years and children aged 5–18 years. Increased involvement of
fathers in their children’s lives has been associated with a range of positive
outcomes for the children.
Methods—The analyses presented in this report are based on a nationally
representative sample of 10,403 men aged 15–44 years in the household
population of the United States. The father-involvement measures are based on
2,200 fathers of children under age 5—1,790 who live with their children and
410 who live apart from their children, and on 3,166 fathers of children aged
5–18—2,091 who live with their children and 1,075 who live apart from their
children.
Results—Statistics are presented on the frequency with which fathers took
part in a set of age-specific activities in their children’s lives. Differences in
percent distributions are found by whether the father lives with or apart from his
children, and by his demographic characteristics. In general, fathers living with
their children participated in their children’s lives to a greater degree than fathers
who live apart from their children. Differences in fathers’ involvement with their
children were also found by the father’s age, marital or cohabiting status,
education, and Hispanic origin and race.
Keywords: fathers’ activities with children • fathers and children • coresidential
and noncoresidential children • National Survey of Family Growth
well-being in many areas (1)—for
Introduction
example, on increasing the chances of
Fathers’ involvement in their
academic success (2,3) and in reducing
children’s lives has been shown to have
the chances of delinquency and
a positive effect on children and their
substance abuse (4–6). A literature
review found that children whose fathers
assumed 40% or more of the family’s
care tasks had better academic
achievement than children whose fathers
were less involved (7,8).
In recent decades, fathers who live
with their children have become more
involved in their children’s lives than in
previous generations (9,10), although
fewer fathers now live with their
children because of increases in
nonmarital childbearing (9,11–15). The
impact of nonmarital childbearing on the
presence of fathers is moderated,
however, by increases in the proportion
of children being born into cohabiting
unions (12). For example, Martinez et
al. (see Table 12 in reference 12) found
that 23% of recent births (those
occurring in the 5 years before the
interview) to women aged 15–44 in
2006–2010 occurred within cohabiting
unions, a significant increase from births
to women aged 15–44 in 2002 (14%).
Using a national sample of fathers aged
15–44, this report documents how much
fathers are involved with their
children—both children with whom they
live, and children from whom they live
apart.
From 1973, when the National
Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) first
conducted the National Survey of
Family Growth (NSFG), to 1995, NSFG
measured changes in the factors related
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Health Statistics
Page 2 National Health Statistics Reports n Number 71 n December 20, 2013
to birth and pregnancy rates and family
formation and dissolution by
interviewing national samples of women
aged 15–44 (16). In 2002, NSFG began
collecting data from national samples of
men aged 15–44. Collecting information
on father involvement was a major
reason for including men in the 2002
and 2006–2010 NSFGs, due to, as noted
above, a growing body of research
showing a positive association between
the presence and involvement of fathers
and outcomes for their children (7,8,17).
In 1995, President Clinton issued a
memorandum for the heads of executive
departments and agencies urging federal
surveys to ‘‘incorporate fathers, where
appropriate, in government-initiated
research regarding children and their
families’’ (18). Subsequent consultation
by NSFG staff with experts in other
federal agencies and the research
community showed that collecting data
on the role of fathers in their children’s
lives was a high priority. It was also
recognized that multiple indicators of
father involvement were necessary to
measure the multidimensionality of
fathering (8,17,19). And the continued
importance of collecting data directly
from fathers about their involvement in
their children’s lives was a summary
conclusion from a 2012 conference at
the National Institutes of Health
sponsored by the National Center for
Family & Marriage Research (20,21).
Data from the 2002 NSFG on father
involvement were published previously
(22), based on a sample of 4,928 men
aged 15–44. This report builds on that
research and is based on a sample of
10,403 men aged 15–44 from the
2006–2010 NSFG. Both reports present
national data for fathers aged 15–44 on
whether they live with or live apart
from their children under age 18 and
their involvement with those children.
The same eight indicators of father
involvement were collected in 2002 and
2006–2010.
Some scholars have suggested that
fathers’ involvement in the lives of their
children can be classified into three (or
four, depending upon how economic
support is classified) broad dimensions
(8,23):
+ Engagement or direct interaction with
the child, including taking care of,
playing with, or teaching the child
+ Accessibility or availability, which
includes monitoring behavior from
the next room or nearby, and
allowing direct interaction if
necessary
+ Responsibility for the care of the
child, which includes ‘‘making plans
and arrangements for care as distinct
from the performance of the care’’ (8)
+ Economic support or breadwinning,
which can be considered either as
part of responsibility or separate from
other measures of father involvement
Other scholars may measure or
classify involvement differently.
This report is limited to measures of
direct interaction or engagement with
children in the last 4 weeks as reported
by the father. However, NSFG has other
measures on fathers that can be used in
future research, including:
+ Age and marital or cohabitation status
when first becoming a father
+ Engagement in activities with
children in the last 12 months
+ Satisfaction with the amount of
contact with children who live apart
+ Amount and frequency of child
support paid, if any
+ Attitudes toward marriage and
parenthood
These other measures are outside
the scope of this report, but some have
been published previously (10,22,24–
27).
Methods
Source of the data
This report is based on the 2006–
2010 NSFG, which was jointly planned
and funded by NCHS and several other
programs of the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services (see
Acknowledgments). Data were collected
from 12,279 interviews with women and
10,403 men aged 15–44 conducted from
June 2006 through June 2010. This
report is mainly limited to the data
collected from the sample of 3,928 men
who are fathers.
Interviews were voluntary;
participants were provided information
about the survey before being asked for
signed informed consent. The survey
was reviewed and approved by the
NCHS and University of Michigan
Institutional Review Boards. The overall
response rate in 2006–2010 was 77%;
the response rate for women was 78%
and for men it was 75% (28). To protect
the respondent’s privacy, only one
person was interviewed in each selected
household. Further information about
NSFG’s sample design, sampling and
sampling errors, interviewing, and data
processing is available elsewhere
(28–30).
Statistical analysis
This report presents basic
descriptive statistics on father
involvement with children living with
and living apart from them in the
United States in 2006–2010; it does not
attempt to demonstrate cause-and-effect
relationships. Statistics for this report
were produced using SAS software,
version 9.3 (http://www.sas.com). The
SAS procedure PROC SURVEYFREQ
is designed to handle the complex
sample design of surveys like NSFG
and was used to calculate percentages
and standard errors (SE). All estimates
for 2006–2010 in this report were
weighted to reflect the approximately 62
million men aged 15–44 in the
household population of the United
States at the midpoint of interviewing,
June 2008. Men aged 15–44 living on
military bases or in institutions were not
included in the survey.
Statistically significant differences
between percentages were assessed
using two-tailed t tests at the 5% level.
No adjustments were made for multiple
comparisons. Terms such as ‘‘greater
than’’ and ‘‘less than’’ indicate that a
statistically significant difference was
found. Lack of comment regarding the
difference between any two statistics
does not mean that the difference was
tested and found not to be significant.
In the description of the results
below, when the percentage being cited
is below 10% or above 90%, the text
National Health Statistics Reports n Number 71 n December 20, 2013 Page 3
cites the percentage to one decimal
point. To make reading easier and to
remind the reader that the results are
based on samples and subject to
sampling error, percentages between
10% and 90% are generally shown
rounded to the nearest whole percentage.
In this report, percentages are not shown
if the sample denominator is less than
75 cases or the numerator is less than 5
cases. When a percentage or other
statistic is not shown for this reason, the
table contains an asterisk (*) signifying
that the statistic does not meet standards
of reliability or precision. For most
statistics presented in this report, the
numerators and denominators are much
larger.
When discussing results,
demographic differences between fathers
living with their children and fathers
living apart from their children are
examined, followed by a discussion of
activity-specific results. For each
activity, coresidential fathers are first
compared with noncoresidential fathers
on the percentages who did the activity
‘‘every day’’ in the last 4 weeks and the
percentages who did not do the activity
at all in the last 4 weeks. Next,
comparisons within a residential
category are made across age, marital or
cohabiting status, education, and
Hispanic origin and race by the
frequency of doing the activity. The
Results section concludes with an
examination of fathers’ views of how
good a father they are. Only statistically
significant differences between any two
percentages are mentioned in the text.
As detailed below, about 10% of
fathers have children with whom they
live and children from whom they live
apart, so the residence groups are not
independent samples. This lack of
independence could affect statistical
testing across residence groups.
However, when treating the residence
groups as independent samples, the
significance levels for differences across
group, which are the majority of
comparisons discussed below.
Fathers and measures of
father involvement
Not all men are biological fathers
and not all fathers have biological
children. In addition to fathering a child,
men may become fathers through
adoption—which confers the same legal
status, protections, and responsibilities
to the man and the child as fathering a
biological child. Men also may become
de facto fathers when they marry or
cohabit with women who have children
from previous relationships, that is, they
are raising stepchildren or their
cohabiting partner’s children. In this
report, men were defined as fathers if
they had biological or adopted children
or if step- or partner’s children were
living in the household. The percentage
of men raising step- or adopted children
who did not also have biological
children was very small, 0.2%. In
2006–2010, 44.8% of men aged 15–44
had ever had a biological child (12), and
45.0% of men aged 15–44 (28 million
of the 62 million men aged 15–44) were
living with biological, adopted, step-, or
partner’s children, or had adopted or
biological children living elsewhere
(analysis of 2006–2010 data not shown.)
Fathers were divided into two
categories based on their coresidence
with their children aged 18 years and
under. Coresidential minor children were
children with whom a man lived and
included step- or partner’s children who
were living in his household, as well as
his own biological and adopted children.
Noncoresidential minor children
consisted of a man’s biological or
adopted children who lived apart from
him. Some fathers had both coresidential
and noncoresidential children—about
10%. Identical questions about specific
activities were asked for both
coresidential and noncoresidential
children. Analyses were restricted to
activities in which the man participated
with these children within the 4 weeks
preceding the interview.
Table 1 of this report is based on
the entire sample of 10,403 men aged
15–44, but Tables 2–10 are based on the
3,928 men who are fathers. Tables 2–5
are based on the 2,200 men who had
children under age 5 years, and
Tables 6–9 are based on the 3,166 men
who had children aged 5–18 years.
Some men had children in both age
groups, so Table 10 is based on 4,336
men—3,038 men who had coresidential
children and 1,298 men who had
noncoresidential children. The sample
size of men who do not live with their
children under age 5 (Tables 2–5)is
410, so the percentages in Tables 2–5
for men who do not live with their
children have larger sampling errors
than the percentages based on the 1,790
men who live with children. The sample
sizes on which the tables are based are
shown in Table A.
Results for categories of men based
on small sample sizes, or those with
large SEs as shown in the detailed
tables, should be interpreted cautiously.
Research has shown a number of
factors that affect the extent to which
fathers are involved in their children’s
lives. This report examines five of these
factors: whether he lives with the
children, his current age, marital or
cohabitation status, Hispanic origin and
race, and education.
Table A. Distribution of fathers aged 15–44, by living arrangement and age of children:
United States, 2006–2010
With children aged:
Under 5 years 5–18 years
Living arrangement (Tables 2–5) (Tables 6–9)
residence groups were very large; the
Lives with one or more children ................... 1,790 2,091
associated SEs would have to increase
Does not live with one or more of his children .......... 410 1,075
dramatically to make the differences
Total.................................... 2,200 3,166
nonsignificant. Note that independence
NOTE: Due to men living with children reporting ‘‘don’t know’’ or ‘‘refused’’ for a specific activity, Table 5 is based on 1,788 men,
was not an issue for comparisons made
and Tables 7 and 9 are based on 2,090 men.
SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Survey of Family Growth, 2006–2010.
between categories within a residence
Page 4 National Health Statistics Reports n Number 71 n December 20, 2013
Fatherhood, activities with
children, and self-rating of
fathering
Men were asked about the number
and characteristics of children they had
fathered or adopted in the context of the
relationships they had with women.
They were asked if they had fathered or
adopted a child with their current wife
or partner, with any of their three most
recent sexual partners, any former wives
who had not been discussed before, and
their first cohabiting partner. Lastly, men
were asked if they had fathered any
other children with sexual partners they
had not married, or if they had adopted
any other children who had lived with
them under their care and responsibility,
not discussed in the context of a
relationship.
Information from these questions
and from the household roster was used
to identify men who had children living
with them (i.e., coresidential children),
and men who had children living apart
from them (i.e., noncoresidential
children), at the time of the interview.
Coresidential children included
biological, adopted, step-, or partner’s
children who were living in the man’s
household at the time of the interview;
noncoresidential children included
biological or adopted children that were
living outside the man’s household at
the time of interview. Men who had
children were then asked questions
about their involvement in these
children’s lives.
Men were asked about activities
they did with their coresidential and
with their noncoresidential children for
two broad age groups: preschool-aged
children (under age 5 years) and
school-aged children (aged 5–18 years),
in order to ask age-appropriate
questions. The questions about activities
that a man engaged in with his children
were summary measures asked generally
about all of his coresidential and all of
his noncoresidential children in the age
activities by age group are presented
below. For children under age 5,
activities include:
+ Eating meals with or feeding the
children
+ Bathing, diapering, or dressing the
children, or helping the children
bathe, dress, or use the toilet
themselves
+ Playing with the children
+ Reading to the children
For children aged 5–18, activities
include:
+ Talking with the children about things
that happened during their day
+ Eating meals with the children
+ Helping the children with homework
or checking that the homework had
been done
+ Taking the children to or from
activities
Men were asked how frequently
they did each activity in the last 4
weeks. They were given a ‘‘show card’’
and asked to select one of the following
response options:
+ Not at all
+ Less than once a week
+ About once a week
+ Several times a week
+ Every day (at least once a day)
Because of the relatively small numbers
of fathers who engaged in some
activities ‘‘Less than once a week’’ and
‘‘About once a week,’’ these categories
are combined in this report.
Using a 5-point scale, fathers also
were asked to rate how good a job they
thought they were doing as a father
overall with all of their coresidential and
with all of their noncoresidential
children, aged 0–18. Response options
were ‘‘A very good job,’’ ‘‘A good job,’’
‘‘An okay job,’’ ‘‘Not a very good job,’’
and ‘‘A bad job.’’ The latter two
categories are combined in this report.
Men were classified by several
demographic characteristics: Hispanic
origin and race, current age, marital or
cohabitation status, and education.
Hispanic origin and race were tabulated
in accordance with 1997 guidelines from
the Office of Management and Budget
(31). Estimates for Hispanic men,
regardless of their race, are shown
separately from non-Hispanic men. For
non-Hispanic men, estimates are
presented for single-race white and
black men. Because of small sample
sizes, estimates for men of other racial
groups are not shown separately.
Education is shown for men aged 22–44
because men aged 15–21 may not have
completed their education at the time of
the interview. Details on these variables
can be found in previous NSFG reports
(32,33).
Results
Fatherhood among men
aged 15–44
In 2006–2010, about 38% (23.5
million) of men aged 15–44 were living
with one or more children, and about
12% (7.5 million) were living apart
from one or more of their biological or
adopted children (Table 1). Note that
these categories are not mutually
exclusive—approximately 5% of men
had children with whom they lived and
children from whom they lived apart.
These fathers are included in both
panels of Table 1. Figure 1 shows the
Table B. Distribution of fathers aged 15–44, by residential location of children:
United States, 2006–2010
Weighted
Sampled Weighted number
Residential location number percentage (in thousands)
groups—that is, the questions were not
Total ................................. 3,928 100.0 27,961
asked for specific children.
This report focuses on activities that
Only coresidential children....................
Only noncoresidential children .................
2,604
885
73.2
15.8
20,456
4,414
men did with their children, separately
Both coresidential and noncoresidential children ...... 439 11.1 3,091
for coresidential and noncoresidential
children, in the last 4 weeks. The
NOTE: Percentages may not add to 100 due to rounding.
SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Survey of Family Growth, 2006–2010.
National Health Statistics Reports n Number 71 n December 20, 2013 Page 5
Only noncoresidential
children
Both coresidential and
noncoresidential children
SOURCES: CDC/NCHS, National Survey of Family Growth, 2006–2010 and Table B of this report.
73
16
11
Only coresidential
children
Figure 1. Percent distribution of fathers aged 15–44, by where their children live: United
States, 2006–2010
percent distribution, and Table B shows
the number and percentage of fathers
who have only coresidential children,
only noncoresidential children, or both
coresidential and noncoresidential
children.
Across most characteristics in
Table 1, higher percentages of men aged
15–44 were living with their children
than were living apart from their
children, but the magnitude of the
difference varied by characteristic. For
example, about twice as many men aged
15–24 had coresidential children (6.9%)
than had noncoresidential children
(3.3%). By ages 35–44, three times as
many men had coresidential children
(64%) than had noncoresidential
children (19%). Looking at marital and
cohabiting status, six times as many
currently married men had coresidential
children (75%) than had
noncoresidential children (12%). Among
currently cohabiting men, almost three
times as many had coresidential children
(54%) than had noncoresidential
children (20%). As expected, of the
characteristics shown in Table 1, only
among men who were neither married
nor cohabiting was the percentage of
men who had noncoresidential children
(10%) higher than the percentage of
men who had coresidential children
(6.1%).
More than twice as many men aged
22–44 with a high school diploma or
less education had coresidential children
(54%) compared with noncoresidential
children (23%). Looking at men with
some college or more education, five
times as many had coresidential children
(45%) than had noncoresidential
children (8.7%).
Non-Hispanic white men aged
15–44 had the largest difference
between those with coresidential
children (37%) and those with
noncoresidential children (8.2%). The
difference was smallest among non-
Hispanic black men, with 33% having
coresidential children and 24% having
noncoresidential children. Among
Hispanic men, more than twice as many
had coresidential children (44%) than
had noncoresidential children (18%).
The following discussion describes
and compares men’s involvement with
their children by examining the
percentages of fathers aged 15–44 (or
aged 22–44 when comparing
percentages between educational
attainment groups) who participated in a
variety of activities in the last 4 weeks
with their children. Emphasis is given to
comparing the categories ‘‘every day’’
and ‘‘not at all,’’ although for a few
measures where these responses are less
common, another category is sometimes
cited.
Involvement in activities
with children under age 5
years
In general and as expected, a higher
percentage of fathers aged 15–44 who
lived with their children under age 5
participated in activities with their
children more frequently than fathers
who lived apart from their children
(Figure 2). Similarly, fathers with
noncoresidential children were more
likely to not have done the activity at
all in the last 4 weeks compared with
fathers with coresidential children
(Tables 2–5). The magnitude of the
differences between coresidential and
noncoresidential fathers varied by
activity. Differences also were seen by
demographic characteristics within
groups of coresidential and
noncoresidential fathers. These
differences are discussed below.
How often fathers fed or ate meals
with their children
A higher percentage of fathers who
lived with their children under age 5 fed
or ate meals with them daily—72%
compared with 7.9% of fathers with
noncoresidential children. A higher
percentage of fathers living apart from
their children did not feed or eat meals
with them at all in the last 4
weeks—43% compared with 0.8% of
fathers with coresidential children
(Table 2).
Variation by Hispanic origin and
race was seen in the percentages of
coresidential fathers who ate meals with
their children every day. Specifically,
Hispanic fathers were less likely to eat
meals with their children every day
(64%) than were non-Hispanic white
(74%) or non-Hispanic black (78%)
fathers (Table 2).
More differences across
demographic categories were seen
among fathers who did not live with one
or more of their children.
+ Higher percentages of older fathers—
44% of those aged 25–34 and 60% of
those aged 35–44—had not eaten a
Page 6
National Health Statistics Reports n Number 71 n December 20, 2013
0
20
40
60
80
100
Have children they live apart fromHave children they live with
72
58
29
8
8
10
5
81
Fed or ate meals with
Bathed, dressed, or diapered
Played with
Read to
SOURCES: CDC/NCHS, National Survey of Family Growth, 2006–2010 and Tables 2–5 of this report.
Percent
Figure 2. Percentage of fathers aged 15–44 who have children under age 5 years who
engaged in the specified activity daily in the last 4 weeks, by whether the children live
with or apart from them: United States, 2006–2010
meal with or fed their
noncoresidential children in the last 4
weeks, compared with 25% of fathers
aged 15–24.
+ More than one-half of fathers aged
22–44 with a high school diploma or
less education (54%) had not eaten a
meal with their noncoresidential
children in the last
4 weeks—a significantly higher
percentage than fathers with some
college or more education (33%).
+ Hispanic fathers (58%) aged 15–44
were significantly more likely to have
not eaten a meal with their
noncoresidential children compared
with white (35%) or black (31%)
fathers.
How often fathers bathed,
diapered, or dressed their children
Nine out of 10 fathers (90%) who
lived with children under age 5 bathed,
diapered, or dressed the children, or
helped them bathe, dress, or use the
toilet ‘‘every day’’ or ‘‘several times a
week,’’ compared with 31% of fathers
who lived apart from their children
(Table 3). Restricting the figures to
those who did these activities ‘‘every
day,’’ the figures are 58% for fathers
who lived with their children and 8.3%
for fathers who did not live with their
children.
There was a significant difference
by Hispanic origin and race among
fathers with coresidential children:
Black fathers (70%) were most likely to
have bathed, dressed, diapered, or
helped their children use the toilet every
day compared with white (60%) and
Hispanic fathers (45%).
Some demographic differences
were seen among fathers with
noncoresidential children:
+ Two-thirds of fathers aged 35–44
(68%) had not bathed, dressed, or
diapered their noncoresidential
children in the last 4 weeks. This
compares with one-third of fathers
aged 15–24 (31%).
+ A higher percentage of fathers aged
22–44 with a high school diploma or
less education (60%) had not bathed,
dressed, or diapered their children in
the last 4 weeks compared with
fathers with some college or more
education (33%).
+ About two-thirds of Hispanic fathers
aged 15–44 (66%) had not bathed,
dressed, or diapered their children in
the last 4 weeks, significantly more
than black (34%) or white fathers
(39%).
How often fathers played with
their children
Practically all fathers who lived
with children under age 5 played with
them: Among coresidential fathers, 81%
played with them daily, and 18% played
with them several times a week
(Table 4). A higher percentage of
currently married fathers (82%) played
with their coresidential children every
day, compared with fathers who were
not currently married or cohabiting
(68%).
Among fathers with noncoresidential
children under age 5, about 4 out of 10
played with them daily (10%) or several
times a week (29%), while 37% did not
play with their children at all in the last 4
weeks. Some differences by demographic
characteristics include:
+ A larger percentage of older fathers
had not played with their
noncoresidential children compared
with the youngest fathers. Forty-seven
percent of fathers aged 35–44 and
40% of fathers aged 25–34 had not
played with their children at all in the
last 4 weeks. This compares with
22% of fathers aged 15–24.
+ Fathers aged 22–44 with a high
school diploma or less education
were almost twice as likely (47%) to
have not played with their
noncoresidential children in the last 4
weeks compared with fathers with
some college or more education
(26%).
+ A higher percentage of Hispanic
fathers aged 15–44 (52%) had not
played with their noncoresidential
children in the last 4 weeks compared
with white (30%) and black (25%)
fathers.
How often fathers read to their
children
Fathers who lived with children
under age 5 were six times more likely
than fathers who did not live with their
young children to have read to them
National Health Statistics Reports n Number 71 n December 20, 2013 Page 7
daily, 29% compared with 4.9%
(Table 5). On the other hand, 16% of
men with coresidential children and
52% of men with noncoresidential
children had not read to them at all in
the last 4 weeks.
Significant differences were
observed in the percentages of fathers
with coresidential children who read to
them, by age, marital or cohabitation
status, education, and Hispanic origin
and race (Table 5).
+ Older fathers were more likely than
younger fathers to read to their
coresidential children. Specifically,
34% of fathers aged 35–44 read to
their coresidential children every day,
significantly more than fathers aged
15–24 (20%). Older fathers were less
likely (13%) to have not read to their
children at all compared with younger
fathers (24%).
+ Cohabiting fathers were twice as
likely (30%) to have not read to their
children at all in the last 4 weeks
compared with married fathers (12%)
and fathers who were neither married
nor cohabiting (14%).
+ Fathers aged 22–44 with some
college or more education were more
likely to have read to their children
every day (33%) compared with
fathers with a high school diploma or
less education (24%).
+ A smaller percentage of white fathers
aged 15–44 had not read to their
coresidential children at all (8.4%)
compared with black (19%) or
Hispanic fathers (32%).
This difference in reading to their
children is less apparent among fathers
and their noncoresidential children, with
significant differences only by education
and Hispanic origin and race.
+ A larger percentage of fathers aged
22–44 with a high school diploma or
less education (60%) had not read to
their noncoresidential children at all
in the last 4 weeks compared with
fathers with some college or more
education (35%).
+ A larger percentage of fathers aged
15–44 of Hispanic origin (70%) had
not read to their noncoresidential
children at all in the last 4 weeks
compared with black (47%) and
white (36%) fathers.
SOURCES: CDC/NCHS, National Survey of Family Growth, 2006–2010 and Tables 6–9 of this report.
Percent
Have children they live apart fromHave children they live with
Ate meals with Took to or from
activities
Talked about day Helped or checked
homework
66
21
3
4
16
6
65
30
0
20
40
60
80
100
Figure 3. Percentage of fathers aged 15–44 who have children aged 5–18 years who
engaged in the specified activity daily in the last 4 weeks, by whether the children live
with or apart from them: United States, 2006–2010
Involvement in activities
with children aged 5–18
years
Tables 6–9 show data on fathers’
activities with their school-aged children
(aged 5–18). As was seen with children
under age 5, fathers aged 15–44 who
lived with older children were more
likely to participate in activities with
them every day and less likely to not
participate at all in activities in the last
4 weeks, compared with fathers who
lived apart from their children
(Tables 6–9, Figure 3). Additionally,
variation across demographic
characteristics was found in the level of
father involvement for specific activities
with coresidential and with
noncoresidential school-aged children.
How often fathers ate meals with
their children
Among fathers who lived with their
school-aged children, 66% ate meals
with them every day in the last 4 weeks
(Table 6) and only 1.4% did not eat any
meals at all with them. By comparison,
among fathers who did not live with
their school-aged children, 2.9% ate
meals with them every day, and 53%
did not eat meals with them at all in the
last 4 weeks.
Differences by marital or cohabiting
status and Hispanic origin and race were
seen among fathers with coresidential
children:
+ Currently married (68%) and
cohabiting (64%) fathers were more
likely to eat meals with their
school-aged children every day than
were fathers who were neither
married nor cohabiting (47%).
+ A larger percentage of Hispanic
fathers (71%) ate meals with their
children daily than did white fathers
(64%).
Differences by marital or cohabiting
status and Hispanic origin and race were
also seen among fathers who did not
live with their children:
+ A smaller percentage of fathers who
were neither married nor cohabiting
(38%) did not eat any meals at all
with these children in the last 4
Page 8 National Health Statistics Reports n Number 71 n December 20, 2013
weeks compared with married (61%)
or cohabiting (61%) fathers.
+ Smaller percentages of non-Hispanic
white (43%) and non-Hispanic black
(46%) fathers did not eat meals at all
with their noncoresidential children
compared with Hispanic fathers
(72%).
How often fathers took their
children to or from activities
Twenty-one percent of fathers who
lived with their school-aged children
and 3.9% of fathers with
noncoresidential children took them to
or from activities every day in the last 4
weeks (Table 7). Conversely, 15% of
fathers with coresidential children and
71% of fathers with noncoresidential
children did not take them to or from
activities at all. Significant differences
by demographic characteristics were
found among coresidential and
noncoresidential fathers.
Among fathers with coresidential
children:
+ A larger percentage of currently
married fathers (21%) took their
school-aged children to or from
activities every day compared with
cohabiting fathers (15%).
+ Fewer currently married fathers
(13%) than cohabiting fathers (21%)
did not take their children to or from
activities at all in the last 4 weeks.
+ One in five fathers aged 22–44 with a
high school diploma or less education
(21%) did not take their school-aged
children to or from activities at all in
the last 4 weeks. This compares with
8.2% of coresidential fathers with
some college or more education.
+ A higher percentage of black fathers
aged 15–44 (27%) took their children
to or from activities every day
compared with white fathers (20%).
Among fathers with
noncoresidential, school-aged children:
+ Three-quarters of currently married
(77%) and currently cohabiting (76%)
fathers did not take their
noncoresidential children to or from
activities at all in the last 4 weeks
compared with 63% of fathers who
were
neither married nor cohabiting.
+ About three of every four fathers
aged 22–44 with a high school
diploma or less education (75%) had
not taken their school-aged children
to or from activities in the last 4
weeks compared with 64% of fathers
with some college or more education.
+ A higher percentage of Hispanic
fathers aged 15–44 (83%) had not
taken their children to or from
activities compared with white (70%)
or black (58%) fathers.
How often fathers talked with
children about things that
happened during the day
Two-thirds of fathers aged 15–44
who lived with their school-aged
children (65%) talked with one or more
of these children about things that had
happened during the child’s day every
day, as did 16% of fathers who lived
apart from their children (Table 8).
Among fathers who did not live with
their children, 37% did not talk to their
children at all about things that
happened during the day in the last 4
weeks; this compares with 1.1% of
fathers with coresidential children.
The only demographic difference
found among men with coresidential
children was by marital or cohabiting
status. A smaller percentage of
cohabiting fathers (58%) talked about
things that happened during the child’s
day with one or more of their school-
aged children every day compared with
fathers who were neither married nor
cohabiting (71%) or currently married
(66%).
Differences by marital or cohabiting
status and Hispanic origin and race were
found for fathers with noncoresidential
children.
+ Currently married fathers (8.0%) were
less likely to have talked with their
noncoresidential children every day
about things that had happened
during the children’s day compared
with fathers who were neither
married nor cohabiting (20%) and
fathers who were cohabiting (23%).
+ Married fathers (47%) and cohabiting
fathers (43%) were twice as likely to
have not talked with their
noncoresidential children at all in the
last 4 weeks compared with fathers
who were neither married nor
cohabiting (23%).
+ Among Hispanic fathers who did not
live with their children, 63% did not
talk with their children at all in the
last 4 weeks about things that had
happened during the children’s day,
compared with 29% of white fathers
and 21% of black fathers.
How often fathers helped with
homework or checked that
homework was done
Among fathers who lived with
school-aged children, 30% said they
helped the children with homework or
checked that the children had done their
homework every day (Table 9). This
compares with 6.0% of fathers who did
not live with their children. About 14%
of coresidential fathers had not helped
these children with homework at all in
the last 4 weeks, and neither did 69% of
fathers with noncoresidential children.
For the most part, there was no
difference by demographic characteristic
in the percentages of fathers with
coresidential, school-aged children who
helped their children with homework or
checked that the homework had been
done.
There were two exceptions:
+ A larger percentage of cohabiting
fathers with coresidential children
(20%) did not help their children
with homework at all compared with
currently married fathers (13%).
+ A larger percentage of black fathers
(41%) had helped their coresidential
children with homework every day in
the last 4 weeks compared with
Hispanic (29%) or white (28%)
fathers.
There were also differences in the
percentages of fathers with
noncoresidential children who helped
with or checked that homework had
been done by marital or cohabiting
status and Hispanic origin and race.
+ Larger percentages of currently
married (78%) and cohabiting (71%)
fathers had not helped their
noncoresidential children with
National Health Statistics Reports n Number 71 n December 20, 2013 Page 9
homework at all in the last 4 weeks
compared with fathers who were
neither married nor cohabiting (58%).
+ Larger percentages of Hispanic (82%)
and white (70%) fathers had not
helped their noncoresidential children
with homework at all in the last 4
weeks compared with black fathers
(56%).
How good a father men
perceive themselves to be
In general, fathers aged 15–44 who
lived with their children aged 0–18
(44%) were about twice as likely as
fathers who did not live with their
children (21%) to say they are doing ‘‘a
very good job’’ as a father (Table 10).
While 0.6% of coresidential fathers
think they are doing ‘‘a not very good
or a bad job,’’ 24% of noncoresidential
fathers think they are doing ‘‘a not very
good or bad job.’’
Conclusion
The goal of this report is to
document the extent of father
involvement in their children’s lives
using the sample of 3,928 fathers aged
15–44 in the 2006–2010 NSFG. While
other surveys have collected data on
father involvement in recent decades
(19,34–37), the NSFG sample is large,
recent, and nationally representative. It
also has multiple indicators of father
involvement for both fathers who live
with their children and fathers who live
apart from their children.
This report is limited to four
measures of father involvement for
children under age 5 years and to four
measures of involvement for children
aged 5–18 years. Identical measures
were compared for fathers aged 15–44
who lived with and who lived apart
from their children. Parental
involvement is complex and
multidimensional. The measures selected
for the survey and examined here were
chosen because previous research has
found them to be related to positive
outcomes for children (8,19,23).
Multiple indicators are shown because
no one indicator is the key father-
involvement activity that benefits all
children more than others (8,17,37).
Some of the findings shown here
are worth reiterating, as there was
variation in father involvement by
activity. For example, for children under
age 5, the study found that 96% of
resident fathers ate meals with their
children every day or several times a
week; 98% played with children that
often; 90% bathed, diapered, or dressed
their children every day or several times
a week; and 60% read to their children
that often. For the fathers who did not
live with their children, 30% ate meals
with them every day or several times a
week; 39% played with their children
several times a week or more; 31%
bathed, diapered, or dressed their
children several times a week or more;
and 23% read to their children several
times a week or more.
Variation in the frequency of doing
activities also was evident among
fathers with school-aged children (aged
5–18). For fathers who lived with these
children, 93.0% ate meals with their
children, and 92.5% talked with these
children about things that happened
during their day several times a week or
every day. This compares with 63% of
fathers who helped with or checked
homework and 55% of fathers who took
these children to or from activities.
This variability in involvement by
activity is one reason to examine all of
the measures available in NSFG, rather
than only the ones reported here.
Additional research with NSFG could
focus on some of the measures of father
involvement not included in this report
(see Introduction), including
involvement in the last 12 months, and
correlates of involvement such as work
hours and schedules and payment of
child support.
The 2006–2010 NSFG data has
several limitations in examining father
involvement. First, only men aged
15–44 were included in the survey,
limiting what can be said about
involvement with their children by
fathers aged 45 and over. Involvement
may differ among these fathers
compared with fathers aged 15–44, but
this report found very few differences
by age in the level of involvement in
activities. The differences by age that
were found suggest that older fathers
may be less involved than fathers aged
15–44 in their children’s lives,
especially fathers with noncoresidential
children aged 0–4.
A second limitation is that the
father involvement questions were not
asked for a specific, focal child if
fathers had more than one coresidential
or noncoresidential child in an age
range. It is not clear, then, how these
fathers responded if they had different
levels of involvement with the different
children. For example, if a man lived
with a 6-month-old baby and a 3-year-
old child, and he spent more time with
the child than with the baby, it is not
possible to know whether he
‘‘averaged’’ the time he spent with each
child or answered questions in regard to
just one.
Another limitation of the 2006–
2010 NSFG was the relatively small
number of measures across dimensions
of father involvement. In response to
these limitations, NSFG, which began
interviewing in September 2011, was
redesigned to include multiple measures
of more dimensions of father
involvement and to ask these questions
about a specific, focal child within each
residence category. In this redesigned
survey, the youngest coresidential and
the youngest noncoresidential children
are selected as the focal children when
fathers are asked how often they engage
in the father-involvement activities. The
redesign and the addition of multiple
questions will allow researchers to
examine father involvement in more
depth than was possible here.
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Page 12 National Health Statistics Reports n Number 71 n December 20, 2013
Table 1. Number of men aged 15–44 and number and percentage who have children aged 18 years and under living with and living apart
from them, by selected characteristics: United States, 2006–2010
Characteristic
Total number
of men
(in thousands)
Lives with one
or more children
Number (in thousands)
and percentage (SE)
Lives apart from one
or more children
Number (in thousands)
and percentage (SE)
Total
1
........................................ 62,128 23,546 37.9 (0.95) 7,505 12.1 (0.60)
Age in years
15–24 .......................................
25–34 .......................................
35–44 .......................................
21,210
19,986
20,931
1,473 6.9 (0.75)
8,691 43.5 (1.31)
13,383 63.9 (1.41)
701 3.3 (0.42)
2,798 14.0 (1.09)
4,006 19.1 (1.14)
Marital or cohabiting status
Currently married ................................
Currently cohabiting ...............................
Not currently married or cohabiting......................
23,357
7,554
31,217
17,596 75.3 (1.54)
4,053 53.6 (2.61)
1,898 6.1 (0.53)
2,838 12.2 (0.97)
1,532 20.3 (1.97)
3,135 10.0 (0.62)
Education
2
High school diploma or GED or less education ..............
Some college or more education .......................
21,072
25,987
11,334 53.8 (1.46)
11,711 45.1 (1.71)
4,887 23.2 (1.24)
2,269 8.7 (0.74)
Hispanic origin and race
Hispanic or Latino ................................
Not Hispanic or Latino
White, single race ...............................
Black or African American, single race ..................
11,847
37,283
7,341
5,154 43.5 (1.68)
13,674 36.7 (1.28)
2,453 33.4 (1.77)
2,170 18.3 (1.28)
3,059 8.2 (0.69)
1,749 23.8 (1.78)
1
Includes men of other or multiple-race and origin groups, not shown separately. Men who live with their children also may have children they do not live with currently; they are included in both
categories.
2
Limited to men aged 22–44 at time of interview. GED is General Educational Development high school equivalency diploma.
NOTES: SE is standard error. Percentages may not add to 100 due to rounding.
SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Survey of Family Growth, 2006–2010.
National Health Statistics Reports n Number 71 n December 20, 2013 Page 13
Table 2. Number and percent distribution of fathers aged 15–44 with children under age 5 years, by how often they fed or ate meals with
their children in the last 4 weeks, according to their living arrangement: United States, 2006–2010
Number Once a Several times
Characteristic (in thousands) Total Not at all week or less a week Every day
Lives with one or more children Percent distribution (standard error)
Total
1
................. ................. 12,614 100.0 0.8 (0.24) 3.2 (0.63) 24.1 (1.54) 71.8 (1.55)
Age in years
15–24 ................................. 1,353 100.0 3.2 (1.73) 4.1 (1.78) 24.2 (4.20) 68.5 (4.45)
25–34 ................................. 6,314 100.0 0.9 (0.32) 2.7 (0.66) 24.9 (1.96) 71.6 (2.04)
35–44 ................................. 4,947 100.0 * * 3.8 (1.21) 23.0 (2.32) 73.0 (2.37)
Marital or cohabiting status
Currently married .......................... 9,577 100.0 0.6 (0.17) 3.2 (0.77) 23.6 (1.74) 72.6 (1.84)
Currently cohabiting ......................... 2,394 100.0 2.0 (1.18) 4.1 (1.34) 24.0 (3.15) 69.9 (3.55)
Not currently married or cohabiting ............... 644 100.0 * * * * 31.8 (6.10) 66.9 (6.06)
Education
2
High school diploma or GED or less education ........ 5,620 100.0 1.4 (0.54) 3.8 (0.96) 24.5 (2.28) 70.3 (2.38)
Some college or more education ................. 6,536 100.0 0.2 (0.08) 2.6 (0.80) 23.8 (2.32) 73.3 (2.48)
Hispanic origin and race
Hispanic or Latino .......................... 2,948 100.0 1.4 (0.59) 6.3 (1.45) 28.4 (3.81) 63.9 (3.46)
Not Hispanic or Latino
White, single race ........................ 7,237 100.0 0.3 (0.14) 1.8 (0.73) 24.0 (2.14) 73.9 (2.15)
Black or African American, single race ............ 1,358 100.0 * * 5.7 (1.94) 14.4 (2.72) 78.2 (3.45)
Does not live with one or more of his children
Total
1
................................... 2,208 100.0 42.8 (3.94) 27.2 (3.71) 22.1 (2.63) 7.9 (1.96)
Age in years
15–24 ................................. 589 100.0 24.7 (6.31) 29.0 (6.34) 33.7 (6.12) 12.5 (4.41)
25–34 ................................. 1,094 100.0 44.1 (5.12) 35.3 (5.66) 16.6 (3.41) 4.0 (1.66)
35–44 ................................. 525 100.0 60.4 (7.91)
8.2 (2.84) 20.4 (6.19) 11.0 (5.62)
Marital or cohabiting status
Currently married .......................... 511 100.0 * * * * * * * *
Currently cohabiting ......................... 384 100.0 * * * * * * * *
Not currently married or cohabiting ............... 1,313 100.0 31.2 (4.43) 29.5 (4.85) 30.3 (3.63) 8.9 (2.74)
Education
2
High school diploma or GED or less education ........ 1,378 100.0 54.0 (5.34) 23.5 (4.86) 16.1 (2.90) 6.4 (2.48)
Some college or more education ................. 481 100.0 32.9 (6.79) 37.4 (8.36) 22.2 (6.23) 7.4 (3.64)
Hispanic origin and race
Hispanic or Latino .......................... 760 100.0 58.0 (6.41) 14.6 (3.53) 18.7 (4.77) 8.6 (4.15)
Not Hispanic or Latino
White, single race ........................ 723 100.0 35.2 (7.08) 40.9 (7.80) 20.0 (4.08) * *
Black or African American, single race ............ 622 100.0 31.0 (4.97) 26.5 (5.44) 29.8 (4.51) 12.6 (3.37)
* Figure does not meet standards of reliability or precision.
1
Includes fathers of other or multiple-race and origin groups, not shown separately. Fathers who live with children also may have children they do not live with currently; they are included in both
categories.
2
Limited to fathers aged 22–44 at time of interview. GED is General Educational Development high school equivalency diploma.
NOTE: Percentages may not add to 100 due to rounding.
SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Survey of Family Growth, 2006–2010.
Page 14 National Health Statistics Reports n Number 71 n December 20, 2013
Table 3. Number and percent distribution of fathers aged 15–44 with children under age 5 years, by how often they bathed, diapered, or
dressed the children or helped the children bathe, dress, or use the toilet in the last 4 weeks, according to their living arrangement:
United States, 2006–2010
Number Once a week Several times
Characteristic (in thousands) Total Not at all or less a week Every day
Lives with one or more children Percent distribution (standard error)
Total
1
................. ................. 12,614 100.0 4.0 (0.75) 6.4 (0.77) 32.0 (1.68) 57.6 (2.00)
Age in years
15–24 ................................. 1,353 100.0 6.0 (2.39) 4.6 (1.43) 28.3 (4.46) 61.1 (4.90)
25–34 ................................. 6,314 100.0 3.4 (0.69) 6.9 (0.99) 30.7 (1.94) 59.1 (2.17)
35–44 ................................. 4,947 100.0 4.3 (1.46) 6.3 (1.46) 34.7 (3.04) 54.7 (3.32)
Marital or cohabiting status
Currently married .......................... 9,577 100.0 3.6 (0.83) 6.3 (0.91) 32.8 (2.00) 57.3 (2.39)
Currently cohabiting ......................... 2,394 100.0 6.3 (1.87) 7.9 (1.53) 25.7 (2.89) 60.1 (3.59)
Not currently married or cohabiting ............... 644 100.0 1.7 (0.91) 1.9 (0.83) 43.8 (6.30) 52.6 (6.19)
Education
2
High school diploma or GED or less education ........ 5,620 100.0 5.4 (1.06) 8.3 (1.37) 32.7 (2.18) 53.6 (2.37)
Some college or more education ................. 6,536 100.0 2.9 (1.05) 4.8 (1.08) 31.8 (2.63) 60.5 (3.00)
Hispanic origin and race
Hispanic or Latino .......................... 2,948 100.0 7.6 (1.59) 12.7 (2.03) 34.7 (2.76) 45.0 (3.35)
Not Hispanic or Latino
White, single race ........................ 7,237 100.0 2.1 (0.86) 4.2 (0.99) 33.6 (2.37) 60.0 (2.74)
Black or African American, single race ............ 1,358 100.0 6.5 (2.60) 5.9 (2.04) 17.1 (2.79) 70.4 (3.58)
Does not live with one or more of his children
Total
1
.................................. 2,208 100.0 47.4 (4.03) 21.4 (3.50) 22.8 (2.93) 8.3 (2.01)
Age in years
15–24 ................................. 589 100.0 31.4 (6.54) 20.1 (5.39) 33.1 (6.20) 15.3 (5.12)
25–34 ................................. 1,094 100.0 46.1 (5.45) 29.4 (5.77) 21.2 (4.40) 3.2 (1.47)
35–44 ................................. 525 100.0 68.1 (6.97) 6.2 (2.91) 14.7 (3.91) 10.9 (5.62)
Marital or
cohabiting status
Currently married .......................... 511 100.0 * * * * * * * *
Currently cohabiting ......................... 384 100.0 * * * * * * * *
Not currently married or cohabiting ............... 1,313 100.0 36.6 (4.59) 22.6 (4.44) 30.6 (4.19) 10.2 (2.85)
Education
2
High school diploma or GED or less education ........ 1,378 100.0 60.2 (5.29) 17.4 (4.16) 16.6 (3.53) 5.8 (2.34)
Some college or more education ................. 481 100.0 33.2 (6.43) 34.9 (8.48) 24.6 (6.52) 7.3 (3.64)
Hispanic origin and race
Hispanic or Latino .......................... 760 100.0 65.7 (5.94) 11.3 (3.41) 15.7 (3.85) 7.3 (3.94)
Not Hispanic or Latino
White, single race ........................ 723 100.0 38.6 (7.34) 27.5 (7.51) 27.3 (6.48) 6.6 (3.10)
Black or African American, single race ............ 622 100.0 34.2 (4.53) 24.4 (5.30) 28.7 (4.39) 12.7 (3.31)
* Figure does not meet standards of reliability or precision.
1
Includes fathers of other or multiple-race and origin groups, not shown separately. Fathers who live with children also may have children they do not live with currently; they are included in both
categories.
2
Limited to fathers aged 22–44 at time of interview. GED is General Educational Development high school equivalency diploma.
NOTE: Percentages may not add to 100 due to rounding.
SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Survey of Family Growth, 2006–2010.
National Health Statistics Reports n Number 71 n December 20, 2013 Page 15
Table 4. Number and percent distribution of fathers aged 15–44 with children under age 5 years, by how often they played with their
children in the last 4 weeks, according to their living arrangement: United States, 2006–2010
Number Once a week Several times
Characteristic (in thousands) Total Not at all or less a week Every day
Lives with one or more children Percent distribution (standard error)
Total
1
................................... 12,614 100.0 0.4 (0.18) 1.3 (0.30) 17.6 (1.28) 80.7 (1.32)
Age in years
15–24 ................................. 1,353 100.0 * * * * 14.9 (3.08) 81.1 (3.32)
25–34 ................................. 6,314 100.0 0.3 (0.11) 1.7 (0.47) 16.1 (1.53) 82.0 (1.63)
35–44 ................................. 4,947 100.0 * * 0.6 (0.34) 20.4 (2.41) 79.0 (2.45)
Marital or cohabiting status
Currently married .......................... 9,577 100.0 * * 0.9 (0.33) 17.4 (1.39) 81.6 (1.46)
Currently cohabiting ......................... 2,394 100.0 1.3 (0.88) 2.7 (1.11) 15.4 (2.71) 80.7 (2.72)
Not currently married or cohabiting ............... 644 100.0 * * 1.6 (0.85) 29.8 (6.27) 68.3 (6.22)
Education
2
High school diploma or GED or less education ........ 5,620 100.0 0.7 (0.39) 1.7 (0.53) 17.9 (1.70) 79.7 (1.70)
Some college or more education ................. 6,536 100.0 * * 1.0 (0.44) 17.6 (2.13) 81.4 (2.20)
Hispanic origin and race
Hispanic or Latino .......................... 2,948 100.0 0.5 (0.26) 2.7 (0.92) 22.6 (2.40) 74.1 (2.38)
Not Hispanic or Latino
White, single race ........................ 7,237 100.0 * * 0.6 (0.28) 16.6 (1.81) 82.7 (1.86)
Black or African American, single race ............ 1,358 100.0 * * * * 13.9 (2.64) 82.2 (3.64)
Does not live with one or more of his children
Total
1
................. ................. 2,208 100.0 37.0 (3.96) 24.1 (3.09) 28.5 (3.20) 10.4 (2.14)
Age in years
15–24 ................................. 589 100.0 22.4 (6.49) 24.5 (5.61) 34.5 (6.11) 18.7 (5.35)
25–34 ................................. 1,094 100.0 40.4 (5.09) 25.5 (4.38) 28.7 (4.91)
5.4 (1.80)
35–44 ................................. 525 100.0 46.5 (7.85) 20.6 (7.59) 21.4 (6.20) 11.5 (5.63)
Marital or cohabiting status
Currently married .......................... 511 100.0 * * * * * * * *
Currently cohabiting ......................... 384 100.0 * * * * * * * *
Not currently married or cohabiting ............... 1,313 100.0 25.2 (4.42) 24.1 (3.74) 37.9 (4.09) 12.8 (3.06)
Education
2
High school diploma or GED or less education ........ 1,378 100.0 47.3 (5.59) 20.8 (3.99) 24.4 (4.21) 7.5 (2.55)
Some college or more education ................. 481 100.0 26.4 (6.11) 38.6 (8.51) 27.0 (6.82) 8.1 (3.66)
Hispanic origin and race
Hispanic or Latino .......................... 760 100.0 52.3 (7.64) 17.6 (5.03) 20.1 (4.97) 10.0 (4.17)
Not Hispanic or Latino
White, single race ........................ 723 100.0 29.7 (6.68) 28.0 (7.02) 35.8 (7.06) 6.6 (3.12)
Black or African American, single race ............ 622 100.0 24.8 (4.64) 26.1 (5.56) 32.7 (4.68) 16.5 (3.60)
* Figure does not meet standards of reliability or precision.
1
Includes fathers of other or multiple-race and origin groups, not shown separately. Fathers who live with children also may have children they do not live with currently; they are included in both
categories.
2
Limited to fathers aged 22–44 at time of interview. GED is General Educational Development high school equivalency diploma.
NOTE: Percentages may not add to 100 due to rounding.
SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Survey of Family Growth, 2006–2010.
Page 16 National Health Statistics Reports n Number 71 n December 20, 2013
Table 5. Number and percent distribution of fathers aged 15–44 with children under age 5 years, by how often they read to their children
in the last 4 weeks, according to their living arrangement: United States, 2006–2010
Number Once a week Several times
Characteristic (in thousands) Total Not at all or less a week Every day
Lives with one or more children Percent distribution (standard error)
Total
1
................. ................. 12,611 100.0 15.7 (1.39) 24.5 (1.46) 30.9 (1.42) 28.9 (1.62)
Age in years
15–24 ................................. 1,353 100.0 23.5 (4.11) 27.2 (4.74) 28.8 (4.68) 20.4 (4.65)
25–34 ................................. 6,312 100.0 15.9 (1.64) 26.0 (1.86) 30.9 (1.67) 27.2 (2.05)
35–44 ................................. 4,946 100.0 13.3 (2.40) 21.9 (2.69) 31.3 (3.00) 33.5 (2.99)
Marital or cohabiting status
Currently married .......................... 9,575 100.0 12.3 (1.44) 24.1 (1.76) 32.8 (1.62) 30.8 (1.83)
Currently cohabiting ......................... 2,394 100.0 29.5 (3.11) 27.2 (3.34) 20.0 (3.08) 23.3 (2.94)
Not currently married or cohabiting ............... 642 100.0 14.4 (5.78) 20.0 (4.75) 43.2 (6.84) 22.5 (4.91)
Education
2
High school diploma or GED or less education ........ 5,617 100.0 23.7 (2.10) 27.7 (1.95) 24.3 (2.11) 24.3 (2.00)
Some college or more education ................. 6,536 100.0 8.4 (1.48) 20.9 (2.12) 37.4 (2.43) 33.3 (2.42)
Hispanic origin and race
Hispanic or Latino .......................... 2,945 100.0 31.8 (2.74) 28.4 (2.91) 17.9 (2.17) 21.9 (3.97)
Not Hispanic or Latino
White, single race ........................ 7,237 100.0 8.4 (1.25) 24.9 (1.99) 36.5 (1.94) 30.2 (2.13)
Black or African American, single race ............ 1,358 100.0 18.5 (3.13) 17.4 (2.88) 29.2 (4.49) 34.9 (4.78)
Does not live with one or more of his children
Total
1
................. ................. 2,208 100.0 52.0 (3.95) 25.5 (3.63) 17.6 (3.07) 4.9 (1.72)
Age in years
15–24 ................................. 589 100.0 48.3 (6.11) 28.6 (6.01) 18.4 (5.67) 4.7 (2.91)
25–34 ................................. 1,094 100.0 50.7 (5.56) 28.0 (5.28) 19.4 (4.33) 1.8 (0.91)
35–44 ................................. 525 100.0 59.0 (8.09) 16.6 (6.28) 12.9 (5.04) 11.5 (5.63)
Marital or cohabiting status
Currently m
arried .......................... 511 100.0 * * * * * * * *
Currently cohabiting ......................... 384 100.0 * * * * * * * *
Not currently married or cohabiting ............... 1,313 100.0 45.9 (4.98) 26.1 (4.33) 20.9 (4.03) 7.2 (2.77)
Education
2
High school diploma or GED or less education ........ 1,378 100.0 60.3 (5.26) 20.4 (3.93) 15.4 (3.58) 3.9 (2.10)
Some college or more education ................. 481 100.0 34.5 (6.45) 40.7 (8.27) 17.3 (5.79) 7.4 (3.64)
Hispanic origin and race
Hispanic or Latino .......................... 760 100.0 70.0 (5.83) 11.0 (2.59) 14.6 (4.35) * *
Not Hispanic or Latino
White, single race ........................ 723 100.0 36.1 (7.21) 34.5 (7.81) 26.2 (7.10) 3.2 (1.88)
Black or African American, single race ............ 622 100.0 47.4 (6.40) 31.2 (6.03) 13.5 (4.09) 7.8 (2.83)
* Figure does not meet standards of reliability or precision.
1
Includes fathers of other or multiple-race and origin groups, not shown separately. Fathers who live with children also may have children they do not live with currently; they are included in both
categories.
2
Limited to fathers aged 22–44 at time of interview. GED is General Educational Development high school equivalency diploma.
NOTE: Percentages may not add to 100 due to rounding.
SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Survey of Family Growth, 2006–2010.
National Health Statistics Reports n Number 71 n December 20, 2013 Page 17
Table 6. Number and percent distribution of fathers aged 15–44 with children aged 5–18 years, by how often they ate meals with their
children in the last 4 weeks, according to their living arrangement: United States, 2006–2010
Number Once a week Several times
Characteristic (in thousands) Total Not at all or less a week Every day
Lives with one or more children Percent distribution (standard error)
Total
1
................. ................. 16,980 100.0 1.4 (0.42) 5.7 (0.64) 27.5 (1.56) 65.5 (1.63)
Age in years
15–24 ................................. 275 100.0 * * * * * * * *
25–34 ................................. 5,115 100.0 2.5 (0.80) 3.8 (0.81) 24.5 (2.09) 69.2 (2.41)
35–44 ................................. 11,591 100.0 0.9 (0.35) 6.5 (0.91) 28.9 (1.94) 63.7 (2.05)
Marital or cohabiting status
Currently married .......................... 12,997 100.0 0.9 (0.32) 4.7 (0.71) 26.5 (1.80) 67.9 (1.90)
Currently cohabiting ......................... 2,540 100.0 2.0 (0.99) 7.7 (1.84) 26.3 (3.46) 63.9 (3.37)
Not currently married or cohabiting ............... 1,444 100.0 * * 10.7 (2.98) 38.5 (5.32) 46.5 (4.88)
Education
2
High school diploma or GED or less education ........ 8,496 100.0 1.1 (0.51) 6.9 (0.98) 23.7 (2.18) 68.3 (2.33)
Some college or more education ................. 8,423 100.0 1.6 (0.67) 4.5 (0.83) 31.1 (2.28) 62.8 (2.44)
Hispanic origin and race
Hispanic or Latino .......................... 3,697 100.0 1.2 (0.64) 6.1 (1.09) 21.6 (2.61) 71.1 (2.27)
Not Hispanic or Latino
White, single race ........................ 9,790 100.0 1.0 (0.48) 4.4 (0.81) 30.3 (2.19) 64.2 (2.23)
Black or African American, single race ............ 1,797 100.0 * * 10.5 (2.09) 25.6 (3.75) 61.7 (4.67)
Does not live with one or more of his children
Total
1
................. ................. 6,280 100.0 52.5 (2.57) 31.5 (2.33) 13.0 (1.48) 2.9 (0.82)
Age in years
15–24 ................................. 141 100.0 * * * * * * * *
25–34 ................................. 2,329 100.0 53.0 (4.19) 30.4 (4.11)
13.6 (2.20) 3.0 (1.27)
35–44 ................................. 3,809 100.0 51.9 (3.34) 32.0 (3.09) 13.1 (1.89) 3.0 (1.22)
Marital or cohabiting status
Currently married .......................... 2,685 100.0 60.7 (4.41) 29.2 (4.03) 8.2 (2.28) 1.9 (1.21)
Currently cohabiting ......................... 1,304 100.0 61.3 (5.00) 25.0 (4.31) 9.6 (2.77) 4.1 (2.66)
Not currently married or cohabiting ............... 2,290 100.0 38.0 (3.47) 37.9 (3.51) 20.6 (3.58) 3.5 (1.28)
Education
2
High school diploma or GED or less education ........ 4,278 100.0 54.8 (3.05) 30.3 (2.63) 12.3 (1.86) 2.6 (0.98)
Some college or more education ................. 2,002 100.0 47.7 (4.86) 34.1 (4.57) 14.5 (3.35) 3.7 (1.62)
Hispanic origin and race
Hispanic or Latino .......................... 1,769 100.0 71.8 (3.72) 15.0 (2.76) 11.3 (3.13) 1.9 (0.70)
Not Hispanic or Latino
White, single race ........................ 2,702 100.0 43.3 (4.71) 38.0 (4.50) 14.5 (2.34) 4.2 (1.84)
Black or African American, single race ............ 1,336 100.0 45.9 (3.43) 40.7 (3.17) 11.3 (2.06) 2.1 (0.98)
* Figure does not meet standards of reliability or precision.
1
Includes fathers of other or multiple-race and origin groups, not shown separately. Fathers who live with children also may have children they do not live with currently; they are included in both
categories.
2
Limited to fathers aged 22–44 at time of interview. GED is General Educational Development high school equivalency diploma.
NOTE: Percentages may not add to 100 due to rounding.
SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Survey of Family Growth, 2006–2010.
Page 18 National Health Statistics Reports n Number 71 n December 20, 2013
Table 7. Number and percent distribution of fathers aged 15–44 with children aged 5–18 years, by how often they took their children to
or from activities in the last 4 weeks, according to their living arrangement: United States, 2006–2010
Number Once a week Several times
Characteristic (in thousands) Total Not at all or less a week Every day
Lives with one or more children Percent distribution (standard error)
Total
1
................. ................. 16,976 100.0 14.5 (1.16) 31.0 (1.59) 34.0 (1.64) 20.5 (1.14)
Age in years
15–24 ................................. 275 100.0 * * * * * * * *
25–34 ................................. 5,110 100.0 18.0 (1.78) 27.5 (2.09) 31.7 (2.34) 22.8 (2.30)
35–44 ................................. 11,591 100.0 12.7 (1.55) 32.8 (2.16) 35.1 (2.17) 19.3 (1.46)
Marital or cohabiting status
Currently married .......................... 12,992 100.0 12.8 (1.18) 32.7 (2.00) 33.3 (1.94) 21.2 (1.49)
Currently cohabiting ......................... 2,540 100.0 21.3 (2.49) 25.9 (2.84) 37.6 (3.76) 15.3 (1.93)
Not currently married or cohabiting ............... 1,444 100.0 17.8 (4.04) 25.2 (4.39) 34.1 (4.70) 22.9 (3.41)
Education
2
High school diploma or GED or less education ........ 8,491 100.0 20.8 (1.70) 30.1 (1.94) 30.5 (1.96) 18.6 (1.42)
Some college or more education ................. 8,423 100.0 8.2 (1.41) 32.0 (2.21) 37.5 (2.52) 22.2 (1.90)
Hispanic origin and race
Hispanic or Latino .......................... 3,697 100.0 18.2 (1.85) 28.5 (2.22) 30.5 (1.89) 22.8 (2.44)
Not Hispanic or Latino
White, single race ........................ 9,785 100.0 13.1 (1.60) 30.6 (2.29) 36.8 (2.39) 19.5 (1.56)
Black or African American, single race ............ 1,797 100.0 14.8 (3.17) 28.8 (2.75) 29.4 (2.81) 27.1 (3.08)
Does not live with one or more of his children
Total
1
................................... 6,280 100.0 71.4 (2.11) 17.4 (1.72) 7.3 (1.15) 3.9 (1.07)
Age in years
15–24 ................................. 141 100.0 * * * * * * * *
25–34 ................................. 2,329 100.0 69.2 (3.59) 19.9 (3.07) 7.5 (1.58) 3.5 (1.46)
35–44 .................................
3,809 100.0 72.7 (2.51) 15.6 (1.97) 7.4 (1.68) 4.3 (1.32)
Marital or cohabiting status
Currently married .......................... 2,685 100.0 76.7 (3.58) 14.1 (2.59) 6.6 (2.26) 2.5 (1.38)
Currently cohabiting ......................... 1,304 100.0 76.2 (4.66) 13.8 (3.65) 4.3 (1.37) 5.7 (2.86)
Not currently married or cohabiting ............... 2,290 100.0 62.5 (3.76) 23.4 (2.83) 9.7 (1.92) 4.5 (1.42)
Education
2
High school diploma or GED or less education ........ 4,278 100.0 75.1 (2.38) 16.2 (1.96) 5.8 (1.00) 2.9 (1.04)
Some college or more education ................. 2,002 100.0 63.6 (4.30) 20.0 (3.03) 10.4 (2.99) 6.0 (2.09)
Hispanic origin and race
Hispanic or Latino .......................... 1,769 100.0 82.8 (2.86) 8.0 (1.93) 7.1 (1.67) 2.0 (0.82)
Not Hispanic or Latino
White, single race ........................ 2,702 100.0 70.0 (3.93) 17.9 (2.90) 7.2 (2.29) 5.0 (2.28)
Black or African American, single race ............ 1,336 100.0 58.2 (3.96) 27.8 (3.70) 8.9 (2.09) 5.1 (1.69)
* Figure does not meet standards of reliability or precision.
1
Includes fathers of other or multiple-race and origin groups, not shown separately. Fathers who live with children also may have children they do not live with currently; they are included in both
categories.
2
Limited to fathers aged 22–44 at time of interview. GED is General Educational Development high school equivalency diploma.
NOTE: Percentages may not add to 100 due to rounding.
SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Survey of Family Growth, 2006–2010.
National Health Statistics Reports n Number 71 n December 20, 2013 Page 19
Table 8. Number and percent distribution of fathers aged 15–44 with children aged 5–18 years, by how often they talked with their
children about things that happened during the day in the last 4 weeks, according to their living arrangement: United States, 2006–2010
Number Once a week Several times
Characteristic (in thousands) Total Not at all or less a week Every day
Lives with one or more children Percent distribution (standard error)
Total
1
................. ................. 16,980 100.0 1.1 (0.38) 6.3 (0.86) 27.2 (1.47) 65.3 (1.52)
Age in years
15–24 ................................. 275 100.0 * * * * * * * *
25–34 ................................. 5,115 100.0 1.6 (0.58) 6.8 (1.28) 23.9 (2.57) 67.7 (2.57)
35–44 ................................. 11,591 100.0 0.9 (0.49) 6.0 (0.97) 28.7 (1.77) 64.3 (1.87)
Marital or cohabiting status
Currently married .......................... 12,997 100.0 0.8 (0.43) 5.5 (1.03) 27.6 (1.88) 66.1 (1.86)
Currently cohabiting ......................... 2,540 100.0 3.3 (1.21) 10.2 (2.38) 28.5 (2.91) 57.9 (3.31)
Not currently married or cohabiting ............... 1,444 100.0 * * 7.3 (2.68) 21.5 (3.38) 70.9 (4.19)
Education
2
High school diploma or GED or less education ........ 8,496 100.0 1.0 (0.33) 8.2 (1.29) 26.7 (2.23) 64.1 (2.20)
Some college or more education ................. 8,423 100.0 1.3 (0.68) 4.5 (1.07) 27.6 (2.01) 66.7 (2.24)
Hispanic origin and race
Hispanic or Latino .......................... 3,697 100.0 0.6 (0.28) 9.5 (2.35) 26.5 (2.65) 63.4 (2.98)
Not Hispanic or Latino
White, single race ........................ 9,790 100.0 0.8 (0.54) 3.9 (0.87) 28.3 (2.14) 67.0 (2.13)
Black or African American, single race ............ 1,797 100.0 3.2 (1.44) 8.6 (2.11) 20.8 (2.74) 67.4 (3.42)
Does not live with one or more of his children
Total
1
................. ................. 6,280 100.0 37.3 (2.76) 27.0 (2.77) 20.1 (1.95) 15.5 (2.04)
Age in years
15–24 ................................. 141 100.0 * * * * * * * *
25–34 ................................. 2,329 100.0 37.8 (4.12) 19.5 (2.81) 25.4 (3.57)
17.2 (3.11)
35–44 ................................. 3,809 100.0 36.5 (3.24) 31.1 (3.57) 17.4 (2.12) 15.0 (2.55)
Marital or cohabiting status
Currently married .......................... 2,685 100.0 46.7 (4.44) 29.0 (3.80) 16.3 (2.69) 8.0 (1.90)
Currently cohabiting ......................... 1,304 100.0 43.0 (5.21) 18.7 (4.05) 15.8 (3.99) 22.6 (4.94)
Not currently married or cohabiting ............... 2,290 100.0 23.0 (2.72) 29.5 (3.48) 27.1 (3.04) 20.4 (3.72)
Education
2
High school diploma or GED or less education ........ 4,278 100.0 40.7 (3.30) 25.7 (2.94) 20.5 (2.23) 13.1 (2.22)
Some college or more education ................. 2,002 100.0 30.0 (4.10) 30.0 (5.44) 19.3 (3.19) 20.8 (4.02)
Hispanic origin and race
Hispanic or Latino .......................... 1,769 100.0 62.9 (4.47) 12.8 (2.74) 12.5 (3.14) 11.8 (2.58)
Not Hispanic or Latino
White, single race ........................ 2,702 100.0 29.4 (3.94) 36.4 (5.18) 18.1 (3.14) 16.1 (3.41)
Black or African American, single race ............ 1,336 100.0 20.7 (2.59) 27.4 (3.53) 34.1 (3.93) 17.8 (2.79)
* Figure does not meet standards of reliability or precision.
1
Includes fathers of other or multiple-race and origin groups, not shown separately. Fathers who live with children also may have children they do not live with currently; they are included in both
categories.
2
Limited to fathers aged 22–44 at time of interview. GED is General Educational Development high school equivalency diploma.
NOTE: Percentages may not add to 100 due to rounding.
SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Survey of Family Growth, 2006–2010.
Page 20 National Health Statistics Reports n Number 71 n December 20, 2013
Table 9. Number and percent distribution of fathers aged 15–44 with children aged 5–18 years, by how often they helped their children
with homework or checked that the children had completed their homework in the last 4 weeks, according to their living arrangement:
United States, 2006–2010
Number Once a week Several times
Characteristic (in thousands) Total Not at all or less a week Every day
Lives with one or more children Percent distribution (standard error)
Total
1
................. ................. 16,970 100.0 14.1 (1.24) 23.2 (1.40) 33.1 (1.56) 29.7 (1.53)
Age in years
15–24 ................................. 275 100.0 * * * * * * * *
25–34 ................................. 5,105 100.0 14.3 (2.06) 18.9 (2.01) 31.5 (2.41) 35.3 (2.52)
35–44 ................................. 11,591 100.0 14.0 (1.52) 25.1 (1.89) 34.0 (1.93) 27.0 (1.75)
Marital or cohabiting status
Currently married .......................... 12,997 100.0 12.9 (1.55) 23.4 (1.62) 34.7 (1.92) 29.1 (1.88)
Currently cohabiting ......................... 2,529 100.0 20.0 (2.97) 22.2 (3.02) 25.8 (2.87) 32.1 (3.35)
Not currently married or cohabiting ............... 1,444 100.0 14.3 (3.40) 23.1 (4.08) 31.0 (4.82) 31.6 (4.54)
Education
2
High school diploma or GED or less education ........ 8,485 100.0 15.3 (1.86) 21.9 (1.63) 30.8 (2.02) 32.0 (2.41)
Some college or more education ................. 8,423 100.0 12.8 (1.76) 24.4 (2.25) 35.4 (2.33) 27.3 (2.00)
Hispanic origin and race
Hispanic or Latino .......................... 3,686 100.0 14.0 (2.31) 21.8 (2.27) 35.0 (2.94) 29.3 (2.88)
Not Hispanic or Latino
White, single race ........................ 9,790 100.0 14.7 (1.89) 23.4 (2.22) 33.8 (2.27) 28.1 (2.13)
Black or African American, single race ............ 1,797 100.0 10.8 (1.80) 20.3 (2.79) 28.4 (3.13) 40.6 (3.31)
Does not live with one or more of his children
Total
1
................. ................. 6,280 100.0 69.1 (2.37) 17.2 (1.95) 7.6 (1.15) 6.0 (1.28)
Age in years
15–24 ................................. 141 100.0 * * * * * * * *
25–34 ................................. 2,329 100.0 65.3 (4.04) 18.4 (3.08) 9.5 (2.39) 6.8 (2.06)
35–44 .................................
3,809 100.0 71.2 (2.83) 16.4 (2.23) 6.6 (1.26) 5.8 (1.58)
Marital or cohabiting status
Currently married .......................... 2,685 100.0 78.1 (3.78) 12.9 (2.70) 6.1 (1.84) 2.9 (1.29)
Currently cohabiting ......................... 1,304 100.0 70.6 (5.00) 11.6 (3.65) 7.9 (2.34) 9.9 (3.42)
Not currently married or cohabiting ............... 2,290 100.0 57.7 (3.82) 25.6 (3.27) 9.1 (2.01) 7.6 (2.37)
Education
2
High school diploma or GED or less education ........ 4,278 100.0 71.1 (2.67) 16.4 (2.03) 6.8 (1.37) 5.6 (1.47)
Some college or more education ................. 2,002 100.0 64.9 (4.47) 19.0 (3.71) 9.2 (2.37) 7.0 (2.38)
Hispanic origin and race
Hispanic or Latino .......................... 1,769 100.0 81.6 (2.99) 10.3 (1.96) 4.9 (1.90) 3.2 (1.73)
Not Hispanic or Latino
White, single race ........................ 2,702 100.0 70.0 (4.34) 19.9 (3.33) 5.1 (1.67) 5.0 (2.04)
Black or African American, single race ............ 1,336 100.0 55.7 (3.62) 18.2 (2.45) 16.4 (2.90) 9.7 (2.27)
* Figure does not meet standards of reliability or precision.
1
Includes fathers of other or multiple-race and origin groups, not shown separately. Fathers who live with children also may have children they do not live with currently; they are included in both
categories.
2
Limited to fathers aged 22–44 at time of interview. GED is General Educational Development high school equivalency diploma.
NOTE: Percentages may not add to 100 due to rounding.
SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Survey of Family Growth, 2006–2010.
National Health Statistics Reports n Number 71 n December 20, 2013 Page 21
Table 10. Number and percent distribution of fathers aged 15–44 with children aged 18 years and under, by how good a job they think
they do as a father, according to their living arrangement: United States, 2006–2010
Not a very
Number good job or A very
Characteristic (in thousands) Total a bad job An okay job A good job good job
Lives with one or more children Percent distribution (standard error)
Total
1
................. ................. 23,496 100.0 0.6 (0.18) 11.1 (0.82) 43.8 (1.45) 44.4 (1.49)
Age in years
15–24 ................................. 1,473 100.0 * * 12.0 (3.37) 35.4 (4.29) 52.3 (3.97)
25–34 ................................. 8,662 100.0 0.5 (0.17) 10.8 (1.11) 41.1 (2.28) 47.5 (2.21)
35–44 ................................. 13,361 100.0 0.7 (0.31) 11.2 (1.20) 46.5 (1.99) 41.6 (1.88)
Marital or cohabiting status
Currently married .......................... 17,596 100.0 0.5 (0.18) 10.7 (1.01) 45.2 (1.73) 43.7 (1.84)
Currently cohabiting ......................... 4,007 100.0 * * 13.2 (1.84) 41.9 (3.37) 44.5 (3.27)
Not currently married or cohabiting ............... 1,893 100.0 2.3 (1.52) 10.5 (2.46) 35.6 (4.28) 51.6 (4.22)
Education
2
High school diploma or GED or less education ........ 11,299 100.0 1.0 (0.32) 13.1 (1.45) 43.0 (2.06) 42.9 (2.03)
Some college or more education ................. 11,696 100.0 0.3 (0.20) 9.4 (1.17) 44.8 (2.16) 45.5 (2.18)
Hispanic origin and race
Hispanic or Latino .......................... 5,146 100.0 1.1 (0.39) 14.5 (1.74) 41.0 (2.24) 43.4 (2.60)
Not Hispanic or Latino
White, single race ........................ 13,637 100.0 0.5 (0.26) 9.4 (1.16) 46.5 (1.94) 43.6 (1.90)
Black or African American, single race ............ 2,449 100.0 * * 12.6 (2.13) 32.6 (3.12) 54.3 (2.88)
Does not live with one or more of his children
Total
1
................. ................. 7,327 100.0 23.8 (2.00) 22.6 (1.92) 32.3 (1.97) 21.3 (1.98)
Age in years
15–24 ................................. 701 100.0 22.3 (5.25) 20.5 (4.67) 32.6 (5.52) 24.6 (5.51)
25–34 ................................. 2,703 100.0 21.5 (2.73) 22.2 (2.83) 35.8 (3.29) 20.6 (2.74)
35–44 ................................. 3,922 100.0 25.6 (2.72)
23.2 (2.55) 29.9 (3.20) 21.3 (2.69)
Marital or cohabiting status
Currently married .......................... 2,782 100.0 28.7 (3.81) 29.4 (3.77) 28.1 (3.23) 13.7 (2.45)
Currently cohabiting ......................... 1,478 100.0 29.5 (4.51) 19.1 (3.66) 24.4 (4.31) 27.0 (4.21)
Not currently married or cohabiting ............... 3,067 100.0 16.5 (2.27) 18.1 (2.10) 40.0 (2.99) 25.5 (2.88)
Education
2
High school diploma or GED or less education ........ 4,766 100.0 24.2 (2.26) 24.2 (2.16) 32.0 (2.40) 19.6 (2.18)
Some college or more education ................. 2,212 100.0 23.0 (3.67) 20.8 (4.04) 33.2 (3.92) 23.0 (4.00)
Hispanic origin and race
Hispanic or Latino .......................... 2,110 100.0 29.3 (3.23) 18.2 (2.48) 29.8 (3.26) 22.8 (2.79)
Not Hispanic or Latino
White, single race ........................ 2,967 100.0 20.8 (3.24) 24.0 (3.51) 37.8 (4.02) 17.4 (2.98)
Black or African American, single race ............ 1,729 100.0 19.1 (2.64) 24.5 (3.14) 30.9 (2.93) 25.5 (4.15)
* Figure does not meet standards of reliability or precision.
1
Includes fathers of other or multiple-race and origin groups, not shown separately. Fathers who live with children also may have children they do not live with currently; they are included in both
categories.
2
Limited to fathers aged 22–44 at time of interview. GED is General Educational Development high school equivalency diploma.
NOTE: Percentages may not add to 100 due to rounding.
SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Survey of Family Growth, 2006–2010.
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National Health Statistics Reports n Number 71 n December 20, 2013
Acknowledgments
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) conducted the 2006–2010 National
Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) with the support and assistance of a number of other organizations and individuals. Interviewing and related
tasks were performed by the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research under a contract with NCHS. The 2006–2010 NSFG was
jointly planned and funded by the following programs and agencies of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:
• Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
• Office of Population Affairs
• National Center for Health Statistics, CDC
• Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, CDC
• Division of Sexually Transmitted Disease Prevention, CDC
• Division of Reproductive Health, CDC
• Children’s Bureau of the Administration for Children and Families
• Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
NCHS gratefully acknowledges the contributions of these programs and agencies, and all others who assisted in designing and implementing
the 2006–2010 NSFG.
This report was prepared under the general direction of Delton Atkinson, Acting Director of NCHS’ Division of Vital Statistics (DVS); and
Stephanie J. Ventura, Chief of the Reproductive Statistics Branch of DVS. The authors are grateful for the valuable comments provided by
Gladys Martinez; Anjani Chandra; Stephanie Ventura; and Robert Anderson, DVS Co-Acting Associate Director for Science; and Jennifer
Madans, NCHS Associate Director for Science. They also thank Yashodhara Patel and Tramaine Bell for their helpful contributions to the
preparation of this report.
The report was edited and produced by NCHS Office of Information Services, Information Design and Publishing Staff: Danielle Woods edited
the report; typesetting was done by Annette F. Holman; and graphics were produced by Erik Richardson (contractor).
Suggested citation
Jones J, Mosher WD. Fathers’ involvement with
their children: United States, 2006–2010.
National health statistics reports; no 71.
Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health
Statistics. 2013.
Copyright information
All material appearing in this report is in the
public domain and may be reproduced or
copied without permission; citation as to
source, however, is appreciated.
National Center for Health Statistics
Charles J. Rothwell, M.S., Director
Jennifer H. Madans, Ph.D., Associate Director
for Science
Division of Vital Statistics
Delton Atkinson, M.P.H., M.P.H., P.M.P.,
Acting Director
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DHHS Publication No. 2014–1250 • CS244249
