Family Facts: Social Science Research on Family, Society & Religion

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This finding looks at the relationship between active religious participation and paternal involvement.

Frequency of church attendance was a stronger predictor of paternal involvement in one-on-one activities with children than employment or income, and its effect was comparable to those of race, ethnicity, and education. Fathers who were active in conservative or mainline Protestant congregations were significantly more engaged with their children in one-on-one activities and with other youth activities than their unaffiliated counterparts.

Sample or Data Description
Data came from the Survey of Adults & Youth (SAY), 1998-1999, national telephone survey. The data consisted of a subset of 2,309 married fathers with children ages 10 to 18 at home.

Source
Wilcox, W. Bradford, Soft Patriarchs, New Men: How Christianity Shapes Fathers and Husbands, (Chicago: University of Chicago Press 2004), pp. 115.

FindingID: 8232