Father's Day 2007

	Education Asst. Prof. Natasha Cabrara talks about her fatherhood research.

	Prof. Cabrera discusses why father's matter - a lot.

Asst. Prof. Natasha J. Cabrera
College of Education
Human Development Dept.
Institute for Child Study
University of Maryland
ncabrera@umd.edu

Q - You have spent a lot of time researching father involvement, especially in lower income families. Just how engaged are fathers this Father's Day - vs. dads, say, in the 1950's or 60's.

I think fathers today are more involved in the daily routine of children's lives than they were 20 or 30 years ago. Increased maternal labor force participation, changing family structures--more single-parent, combined, cohabiting, and divorced families--has helped create a cultural shift that expects more hands-on child rearing from dads.

Q - Why do fathers play such an important part in the development of their children? Do they really matter?

Our research shows that what fathers do, how they interact with their children and what things (experience, interests, etc.) they bring to the father-child relationship can have positive effects on children's development that are over and above mom's. In other words, fathers uniquely contribute to development. For example, children whose fathers spend time with them and interact with them in positive and responsive ways have better language skills than children growing up without a father. Similar effects have been found for older children.

Q - What barriers do low-income dads face when trying to meet their responsibilities as fathers?

The barriers are many and include, lack of employment opportunities or jobs with sustainable wages, lack of education and steady income. Also, at the personal levels, low-income families experience a lot of distress, mental health, and other issues that can interfere with the daily functioning of the family and lead to partner conflict and consequently negative parenting. I would say conflict in the home is the biggest contributor of negative parenting.

Q - If there was one thing a dad could do to really have an impact on their children, what would that be?

This is not an easy question to answer. Fathers do many things, which can have a positive effect on children at particular points in the child's development. Having a strong and positive relationship with his partner (even if the romance ends) and a responsive and involved relationship with his child (that includes monitoring, discipline) with his child are probably key ingredients.

Q - You have been involved in ground-breaking research about dads. What have you learned that really hits home about fathers this Father's Day?

Fathers, like mothers, can be good parents (and sometimes not so good parents). Family policy and programs aimed at helping families can't forget that dad is an integral part of the family. For so long, we've focused on helping mom be a better mom and often we've forgotten about dads. If we're truly serious about helping "families" and children have better lives, then we have to focus on all members of the family.