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Dads after divorce
It is not without reason that many divorced fathers have earned the
label "deadbeat dad." But a new study suggests why divorced dads may or
may not desert their children.
Elizabeth Cooksey, a sociology professor at Ohio State University
recently conducted a US survey of divorced dads. The researchers
interviewed nearly 500 fathers, who had at least one child under 18, and
then interviewed their children; more than, 700 children participated in
the study.
The report - in the journal Demography - shows that not all dads
desert; the number of fathers taking custody of children after divorce
is growing. And a father who does not have custody is very likely to
stay in contact with his children after he marries again, even if he
acquires stepchildren in a new relationship.
But things change if and when he begins his new biological family
"He then focuses on his more stable family," explains Cooksey.
The research team found that another major factor leading to men's
parental dis-involvement is geographical distance: If a father lives
more than 100 miles from his children, they say, he is less likely to
visit or talk with them on the phone.
Source: Crowded Out, by Druckman, Amanda | Nov 01 '99,
KeepMedia.com
September 2, 2004
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