The changing course of fatherhood: Men's experiences with children in demographic perspective

This article documents the changes in men's experience of living with children. Data are drawn from seven Current Population Surveys to address four questions: What changes are evident across birth cohorts of men in the likelihood of living with children? What cohort differences are observed in the experience of living with many children or with preschool age children? How does the timing of living with children change across cohorts? To what extent do the observed patterns vary by race and level of education? Men's experience of living with children declines precipitously across cohorts. More recent cohorts are less likely to be characterized by the experience of large numbers of children. Living with children is increasingly concentrated in middle age. Finally, there are stark differences among men by race and level of education in the experience of living with children.