Latest news with #EmerSmyth
The Journal
4 days ago
- Business
- The Journal
Around one in six children do not live with their fathers full-time, report finds
JUST OVER HALF of children report getting on 'very well' with their father at age 9, as research finds that 18% of children at that age do not live with their fathers full-time. The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has published its scoping study examining the profiles of fathers who do not live with their children full-time, termed in the report as 'non-resident fathers', and their relationships with their children. It comes as NGOs and separated parents have emphasised the importance of including non-resident fathers in research studies. The report used data from the long-running Growing Up in Ireland study. The study uses data from two separate cohorts – a cohort from 1998, who were aged 9 at the first interview in 2007, and from 2008, who were aged 9 months in the first wave in 2008. Advertisement The report found that 14% of children aged between 9 months and 5-years-old did not live with their fathers, rising to 18% by the age of 9. Half of non-resident fathers see their babies or toddlers several times a week, mothers reported, while families with fathers that did not live with their children tended to have younger mothers with lower levels of education, likely to live in urban areas. Around a third of children aged between 5 and 9 see their fathers at least a few times a week. Just over a quarter of non-resident fathers have little to no contact with their children. 'Although the non-resident fathers surveyed tend to be actively involved in their children's lives, around half of them would like more frequent contact with their child,' the report said. Co-author of the report Emer Smyth said that research needs to provide a 'comprehensive' picture of the range of influences on children's lives, including their parents who may not live with them. 'A significant proportion of children – around one-in-six – do not live with their father full-time, so not including their father gives only an incomplete picture of their lives. Parents can differ in their perceptions of the father-child relationship, so capturing both perspectives is important,' she said. Some 38% of mothers separated from their child's father receive regular payments in the case where the child primarily lives with their mother. Another 11% receive payments when needed for a particular purpose. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Independent
4 days ago
- General
- Irish Independent
Over a quarter of fathers who do not live with their children have ‘little to no contact with them'
While 14pc of children between nine months and five years do not live full-time with their fathers, rising to 18pc by nine years of age, according to new research published by the Economic and Social Research Institution (ESRI). The report uses Growing Up in Ireland (GUI) data to look at the profile of fathers not living full-time with their children, termed 'non-resident fathers'. The GUI study, produced in partnership with the Department of Children, Disability and Equality (DCDE), has included both resident and non-resident fathers in almost all waves of the study. The primary focus of the report is on how best to involve non-resident fathers in future waves of the GUI birth cohort, however it provides interesting insights on non-resident fathers and their relationships with their children. Families with a non-resident father have much younger mothers, who tend to have lower levels of education and are more likely to live in urban areas. Households that experienced parental separation during the study were more disadvantaged in profile, with this group of fathers having lower educational levels, higher unemployment and greater financial difficulties. Half of non-resident fathers see their babies or toddlers several times a week, according to mothers' reports. Contact is less frequent as children transition to school, though around a third of five and nine-year-olds see their fathers at least a few times a week. Although the non-resident fathers surveyed tend to be actively involved in their children's lives, around half of them would like more frequent contact. Parental accounts of the father's frequency of contact differ, with mothers reporting lower levels of contact than fathers do. Over a third (38pc) of separated mothers receive regular payments from the non-resident father, while 11pc receive payments on an ad hoc basis. From the child's perspective, over half (53pc) report getting on 'very well' with their father at age nine, indicating the importance of their father in their lives. Birth and child cohort studies internationally have varied in the extent to which they include the perspectives of resident fathers, with even greater variation found in the inclusion of non-resident fathers. Studies that do include non-resident fathers have yielded important insights into their influence on child outcomes and the importance of the resources. These are financial, social and emotional resources – that fathers provide for their children. However, many studies have experienced challenges in including non-resident fathers. Both NGOs and separated parents strongly emphasised the importance of including non-resident parents in research, with interviewees highlighting the active involvement of fathers in their children's lives and the consequent impact on child development. Emer Smyth, co-author of the report, said a significant proportion of children – around one-in-six – do not live with their father full-time. "So not including their father gives only an incomplete picture of their lives,' she said. 'Parents can differ in their perceptions of the father-child relationship, so capturing both perspectives is important.'
RTÉ News
4 days ago
- Business
- RTÉ News
14% of young children not living with fathers
14% of children in Ireland between nine months and five years do not live with their fathers full-time according to research published by the Economic and Social Research Institute. By the age of nine, the figure rises to 18%, according to the ESRI. Using data from the Growing Up in Ireland study, which is produced in partnership with the Department of Children, it found that households with parental separation were more disadvantaged in profile. Where fathers were not resident in the home, mothers were "much younger", tended to have lower levels of education and were more likely to live in urban areas. It found that the fathers had lower educational levels, higher unemployment levels and greater financial difficulties. Mothers reported that half of fathers who were not resident at home saw their babies or toddlers several times a week. Contact was somewhat less frequent as children made the transition to school, although around a third of five-year-olds and nine-year-olds saw their fathers at least a few times a week. Just over a quarter of "non-resident fathers" had little to no contact with their children at each age examined. Although the fathers surveyed who were not living with their children tended to be actively involved in their children's lives, around half of them said would like more frequent contact with their child. Parental accounts of the father's frequency of contact differed. Mothers reported lower levels of contact than fathers did. From the child's perspective, just over half (53%) reported getting on "very well" with their father at age nine, which indicated the importance of their father in their lives according to the report. Over a third (38%) of separated mothers received regular payments from the non-resident father, while 11% received payments on "an ad hoc basis". The ESRI noted the importance of these payments for "a significant group of families". In order to conduct the research, mothers were asked to help access the fathers by providing contact details or passing on information. When the children were between nine months and three years old, around a third of mothers were willing to give permission for fathers to be contacted. This dropped to just over a quarter when the child was aged nine. In order to get a comprehensive picture of the range of influences on the lives of children, it required input from parents who were not living with them according to researchers. "Parents can differ in their perceptions of the father-child relationship, so capturing both perspectives is important," according to co-author of the report Emer Smyth. Fathers who were in more frequent contact with their child were more likely to complete the survey. Of the fathers who were contacted when their child was aged three, 35% completed the survey. However, the response rate fell to 14% when the child was aged nine. Separated parents said they would be more likely to take part in research if its purpose and how the information would be used was made very clear, according to co-author Merike Darmody.
