title: Fatherhood Across Two Generations Factors Affecting Early Family Roles.
abstract: This article examines the determinants of men's early parental roles, distinguishing factors that affect being a father versus being childless, and factors that affect being a resident versus a nonresident father, in the context of having a partner or not. We also consider whether these patterns have changed between 1985 and 2004. The data come from the linked Child-Mother and Young Adult Samples of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (NLSY79), which provide information on the children of the NLSY79 from birth until they enter young adulthood, and from the original youth sample of parallel ages. The results support previous research showing the importance of economic and educational disadvantages and nontraditional family structure on being a non-resident father. The effects of family structure appear to have attenuated between generations as determinants of men's early parental roles.
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland, College Park; Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island.
authors.forename: Frances
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Goldscheider
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland, College Park.
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hofferth
authors.affiliation: Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island.
authors.forename: Carrie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Spearin
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland, College Park.
authors.forename: Sally
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Curtin
keywords: cohort change; family structure; fatherhood