Absent Fathers? The Dynamics of Fatherhood and Partnership after Separation and Divorce

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Michaela Regina Kreyenfeld
• Subject Area: Empirical Social Research
• Term: from 2015 to 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 266395921

This project focuses on separated fathers, i.e., men who are separated from the mothers of their common children. The main goals are a) to quantify the relevance of separated fathers cross-sectionally and longitudinally, b) to model the partnership and fertility dynamics of separated fathers, c) to investigate the impact of their partnership and fertility trajectories as well as child custody arrangement on the relationship between father and child and d) to analyze the effect of father-child contact and its changes over the life course on fathers wellbeing. Data used in this project come mainly from the German Family Panel (pairfam) and the supplement for East Germany (DemoDiff). In addition the following data sources are used: the German micro census and the GSOEP. This research is motivated by its importance for social policy and by a lack of quantitative studies on this topic in Germany. While particularly in English-speaking countries the prevalence of separated fathers, their partnership and fertility trajectories and the determinants of father-child contact have been widely analyzed, there are basically no such studies for Germany. Against the background of different legal regulations and welfare state conditions, our project aims at closing this research gap.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Cooperation Partner: Professorin Dr. Heike Trappe