In-hospital paternity establishment and father involvement in fragile families

TY - JOUR

T1 - In-hospital paternity establishment and father involvement in fragile families

AU - Mincy, Ronald

AU - Garfinkel, Irwin

AU - Nepomnyaschy, Lenna

PY - 2005/8

Y1 - 2005/8

N2 - This article assesses the effectiveness of in-hospital paternity establishment, a federal requirement since 1993. We avoid biases in previous studies by using a national sample of nonmarital births (N= 3,254), by including detailed controls for characteristics of unwed mothers and previously unavailable controls for characteristics of fathers, and by estimating reduced form models of the effects of strong paternity establishment regimes. We find that paternity establishment rates are now quite high - 69% - and that 6 of 7 paternities are established in the hospital. Even after controlling for previously unavailable characteristics, establishing paternity (in and outside the hospital) is significantly and positively associated with formal and informal child support payments and father-child visitation. These results hold up in the reduced form models.

AB - This article assesses the effectiveness of in-hospital paternity establishment, a federal requirement since 1993. We avoid biases in previous studies by using a national sample of nonmarital births (N= 3,254), by including detailed controls for characteristics of unwed mothers and previously unavailable controls for characteristics of fathers, and by estimating reduced form models of the effects of strong paternity establishment regimes. We find that paternity establishment rates are now quite high - 69% - and that 6 of 7 paternities are established in the hospital. Even after controlling for previously unavailable characteristics, establishing paternity (in and outside the hospital) is significantly and positively associated with formal and informal child support payments and father-child visitation. These results hold up in the reduced form models.

KW - Child support

KW - Father involvement

KW - Fragile families

KW - Paternity establishment

KW - Unwed parents

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=33745299960&partnerID=8YFLogxK

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U2 - https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2005.00157.x

DO - https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2005.00157.x

M3 - Article

SN - 0022-2445

VL - 67

SP - 611

EP - 626

JO - Journal of Marriage and Family

JF - Journal of Marriage and Family

IS - 3

ER -