Does Fatherhood Matter to Men?

Despite the enormous social changes affecting family and parenting over the past three decades, fatherhood still offers powerful incentives and important social benefits for many men.

Research reveals clear and compelling differences between fathers and non-fathers in their social and familial connections and their work lives.

Men who live with their biological children are more involved in community and service organizations and more connected to their own siblings, adult children and aging parents through phone calls and visits than other types of fathers and non-fathers.

Moreover, they take the good provider role seriously and invest more hours per week in work and career than non-fathers and fathers of adult children, according to Eggebeen.

Once men no longer live with their children, the transforming power of fatherhood diminishes considerably, even for biological fathers.

Biological fathers who live apart from their children as a result of divorce, separation, remarriage or simply because their children move away stay closer to siblings and parents than non-fathers but in other respects lead the lifestyles of non-fathers -- their recreational activities are more self-focused and they are more inclined to immerse themselves in their jobs.

These differences hold true regardless of the father's marital status, socioeconomic factors, race or age.

Fatherhood undergoes changes.

American fatherhood is undergoing changes that are both rapid and contradictory, almost paradoxical. At the same time that a "new fatherhood" is emerging and an appreciation is growing for the father's role in children's lives, fewer men are experiencing fatherhood, at least in the traditional sense.

Recent demographic analyses show that 6 out of 10 adult males were living with children in the mid-1960s, but that this was the case with only 45 percent of men by the late 1990s.

Women's experience with parenthood has also declined in the last few decades, but men's retreat from parenthood has been more pervasive.

Fatherhood is all-encompassing.

Nevertheless, for men who do embark on fatherhood, the impact on their lives is all-encompassing. For instance, those men who live with their biological or adopted children are significantly more likely to belong to service clubs and school-related organizations.

Children are the mechanism that lead men who are fathers to become a cub scout leader, scout master, community league basketball coach, little league coach and school board member.

As parenting becomes paramount, fathers will tend to be less involved in organizations that focus only on personal recreation, leisure pursuits or self improvement. They will also be less inclined to visit friends or co-workers, go to a bar or play on sports teams.

Fatherhood effected by religious practices

Furthermore, the place of religious practices and priorities in one's life may get reevaluated as children arrive and parents are confronted with the tasks of teaching values to children.

With the exception of men who are fathers of adult children, we found that non-resident fathers, stepfathers and men who are not fathers attend church significantly less than men who live in the same household with their children.

One factor not significantly affected by fatherhood is physical and psychological health.

Married men without children are no more likely than married men with children to report depression or problems with drinking or drug use. Neither do they express less satisfaction with life or give a poorer rating of their overall physical health.