Project info
Work package
- Care
Sustainability threat
- Spillovers
Challenge
- Facilitating work life balance
Study info
Description of Study
Objective: This study investigates the role of residence (including shared residence), repartnering (including LAT relationships), and additional children (step- and half-siblings) on parenting in postdivorce families, and whether patterns differ by gender and type of parenting behavior.
Background: Patterns of parenting are indicative of how parents redefine their roles and responsibilities after divorce and repartnering, but extant research has largely overlooked parenting across a full array of postdivorce families.
Method: The analyses were based on data from Wave 2 of the New Families in the Netherlands survey, which was conducted among a random sample of divorced or separated heterosexual parents with minor children (N = 2,778).
Results: Residence was highly relevant for parenting in regular care, leisure, irregular care, and influence in child-related decision-making. Repartnering and additional children had smaller effects and it mattered which type of
parenting behavior was considered, but they were generally associated with lower parental engagement, except for decision-making influence. Gender differences were only found for decision-making influence, showing that
variations in parenting across residence arrangements or between repartnered or single parents were more pronounced for mothers than fathers.
Conclusion: Residence was more strongly related to parenting than repartnering, and the strength and nature of associations varied between parenting behaviors. Influence in decision-making stood out as a distinct parenting behavior, and also the frequency and obligatory nature of parent–child activities mattered.
Study research question
This study investigates how residence (including shared residence), repartnering (including LAT relationships), and additional children (step- and half-siblings) relate to patterns of parenting. This study further tests whether the role of repartnering varies across residence arrangements and whether patterns differ by gender and type of parenting behavior.
Collection provenance
- -
Collection methods
- Longitudinal survey
Personal data
Yes
External Source
Source description
File formats
- SPSS and Stata files
Data types
- Structured
Languages
- Data collection was in Dutch; Data files are in English
Coverage start
Coverage end
31/05/2012
30/09/2016
Spatial coverage
The Netherlands
Collection period start
—
Collection period end
—
Variables
Unit
Unit description
Sample size
Sampling method
Individuals
Formerly married or cohabiting heterosexual parents with minor children who officially divorced (for married parents) or started living apart (for cohabiting parents) in 2010.
Wave 1: 4,481 participating parents; Wave 2: 3,464 participating parents
Random sampling
Hypothesis
Theory
(H1) Resident parents are most involved with their child, followed by parents in shared residence and nonresident parents, respectively.
—
(H2) Repartnered parents, particularly when they co-reside with their partner and/or have additional parenting responsibilities, are less involved with their child from a prior union than parents without a new partner.
—
(H3) The negative effect of repartnering on parenting is the strongest for nonresident parents, followed by parents in shared residence and then resident parents.
—
The effects of (H4) residence and (H5) repartnering on parenting are stronger for fathers than mothers.
—
Variable type
Variable name
Variable description
Dependent variable
Regular care
—
Dependent variable
Leisure
—
Dependent variable
Irregular care
—
Dependent variable
Influence in child-related decision-making
—
Independent variable
Residence
—
Independent variable
Repartnering
—
Independent variable
Stepchildren
—
Independent variable
Shared children
—
Independent variable
Parent's gender
—
Control variable
Parent's education
—
Control variable
Parent's employment
—
Control variable
Parent's work hours
—
Control variable
Predivorce conflict
—
Control variable
Predivorce involvement
—
Control variable
Child's gender
—
Control variable
Child's age
—
Control variable
Former union type
—
Control variable
Number of children
—
Control variable
Parent's age
—
Control variable
Sample
—
Discipline-specific operationalizations
Conflict of interest
None
Data packages
Data package_Parenting in Postdivorce Families_2021
Data package DOI
—
Description
Data package corresponding to the following publication: Parenting in Postdivorce Families: The Influence of Residence, Repartnering, and Gender
Accessibility
Open Access
Repository
YODA
User license
Retention period
Publications
Parenting in Postdivorce Families: The Influence of Residence, Repartnering, and Gender
Koster, T., Poortman, A., van der Lippe, T., & Kleingeld, P. (2021). Parenting in Postdivorce Families: The Influence of Residence, Repartnering, and Gender. Journal of Marriage and Family, 83(2), 498-515.
Documents
Filename
Description
Date
Ethics
Ethical assessment
No
Ethical committee