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Parental warmth and affection with younger children
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The majority of parents with children under the age of 13 demonstrate some expression of warmth and affection to their child daily, such as hugging or showing them physical affection, telling them that they love them, and telling them that they appreciate something that they did. Mothers are more likely than fathers to report showing their children warmth and affection. For example, in 1997, eighty-five percent of mothers told their child that they love him/her, compared with 62 percent of fathers. These displays of warmth by both mothers and fathers decreased as children got older for all three behaviors.
Percentage of parents of children under age 13 who expressed various forms of warmth and affection to their child every day in the past month, by parent gender: 1997
Source: Estimates supplied by Sandra Hofferth, University of Maryland, based on data from the 1997 Panel Study of Income Dynamics - Child Development Supplement. As reported in Child Trends. (2002). Charting parenthood: A statistical portrait of fathers and mothers in America. Washington, DC: Author.
Table 5a.
Percentage of parents of children under age 13
who expressed various forms of warmth and affection every day in the past month,
by selected characteristics: 1997Hugged or showed physical affection to their child Told their child that they love him/her Told their child that they appreciated something he or she did Mothers Fathers Mothers Fathers Mothers Fathers Total 87 73 85 62 55 37 Race and Hispanic Origin (a) White, non-Hispanic 93 76 91 65 56 36 Black, non-Hispanic 75 56 76 45 56 40 Hispanic 81 73 77 63 52 41 Other 78 61 76 40 53 32 Poverty Status Poor (0 to 99% poverty) 78 67 80 63 55 44 Extreme poverty (at 50% or less) 78 58 80 60 49 47 Nonpoor 90 74 87 61 55 36 100% to 199% of poverty 88 74 85 60 58 43 200% to 299% of poverty 86 73 86 58 53 32 300% or more of poverty 93 74 88 64 55 34 Age of Child 0-2 years 98 90 95 80 73 56 3-5 years 93 84 91 69 66 44 6-9 years 87 70 85 55 48 31 10-12 years 74 50 72 45 39 17 a. Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.
Source: Estimates provided by Sandra Hofferth, University of Maryland, based on data from the 1997 Panel Study of Income Dynamics - Child Development Supplement. As reported in Child Trends. (2002). Charting parenthood: A statistical portrait of fathers and mothers in America. Washington, DC: Author.
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Positive parent-adolescent relationships
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Overall, in 1999, the majority of adolescents reported positive relationships with their resident parents (more than 60 percent). Positive relationships between adolescents and their parents, both mothers and fathers, were more common when both resident parents were the biological parents of the child than when there was a single biological parent or one biological and one nonbiological parent. Note that for single parents, relationships are measured among a different group of children for the mother than for the father. For these families, differences in outcomes between mothers and fathers could be due to characteristics of the parents, or characteristics of the children that live with them. Also note that for biological/other parent families, a greater share of biological parents are mothers and a greater share of other parents are fathers.
Percentage of adolescents with a positive relationship with their resident parent,
by family structure: 1999Note: For this indicator, a positive parent-adolescent relationship is based on a youth-reported scale of parental behaviors toward the youth (e.g., praising, helping, criticizing, or blaming the youth; canceling plans with the youth). Adolescents are reporting on parents and parent figures who live with the adolescent.
Source: Child Trends' analyses of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth - 1997, Rounds 1 and 3.Mother Father Table 5b.
Percentage of adolescents with positivea relationships with their resident parent,
by selected characteristics: 1999Total 67.6 63.5 Race and Hispanic Origin(b) White, non-Hispanic 69.3 65.0 Black, non-Hispanic 68.0 55.6 Hispanic 61.9 60.8 Other 56.3 63.5 Family Structure Two biological parents 71.5 65.9 Two parents (biological and other)(c) 62.6 54.0 One biological parent 61.8 59.6 Parent's Highest Level of Education(d) Less than high school degree 61.7 60.2 High school degree 65.8 58.6 Some college 67.3 64.5 College graduate 71.6 67.3 a. A positive relationship is measured as a score of 15 or greater on a parental supportiveness scale of 20. This score corresponds roughly to a response of "usually" on questions about parents praising and helping the adolescent, and "almost never" to questions about parents criticizing, blaming, or canceling plans with the adolescent.
b. Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.
c. This includes families with one biological parent and one nonbiological parent figure in the household. This resident nonbiological parent figure can be a step-parent, adoptive parent, foster parent, spouse or romantic partner of the biological parent, or a relative or other adult who is "like a parent" to the respondent. A greater share of biological parents are mothers and a greater share of other parents are fathers.
d. In two-parent households, "parental education" refers to the highest level of education attained between the two resident parents/parent figures.
Note: Analyses are based on a universe of adolescents aged 12-14, who lived with a mother or mother figure, or father or father figure in 1999. For single parents, relationships are measured among a different group of children for the mother than for the father. For these families, differences in outcomes between mothers and fathers could be due to characteristics of the parents, or characteristics of the children that live with them.
Source: Child Trends' analyses of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth - 1997, Rounds 1 and 3.
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Parental awareness of adolescents' friends and activities
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Mothers are more likely than fathers to be aware of their adolescents' close friends, as well as their activities, regardless of family structure. Data for 2000 indicate that mothers were slightly more likely to be aware of their adolescent's friends and activities when they resided with the biological father of the child (57 percent) than when they were the sole biological parent, or part of a biological parent/nonbiological parent couple (51 percent each). Fathers in either two-parent or one-parent biological families had higher levels of awareness (31 percent) than did fathers who were part of a one biological and one nonbiological parent couple (20 percent). Note that for single parents, awareness is measured among a different group of children for the mother than for the father. For these families, differences in outcomes between mothers and fathers could be due to characteristics of the parents, or characteristics of the children that live with them. Also note that for biological/other parent families, a greater share of biological parents are mothers and a greater share of other parents are fathers.
Percentage of adolescents who report that their parents are aware of
their friends and activities, by family structure: 2000Note: For this indicator, parental awareness is measured by the adolescent's report of the degree to which their parents know "some" or "most" things about their close friends, close friends' parents, company when not at home, and teachers and school activities. Adolescents are reporting on parents and parent figures who live with the adolescent.
Source: Child Trends' analyses of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth - 1997, Rounds 1 and 4.Mother Father Table 6.
Table 6. Percentage of adolescents who report that their parents are aware of
their friends and activities, by gender and selected characteristics:(a) 2000Total 55.0 29.2 Race and Hispanic Origin(b) White, non-Hispanic 56.0 29.4 Black, non-Hispanic 55.6 27.0 Hispanic 53.2 32.4 Other 42.9 23.7 Family Structure Two biological parents 57.3 31.2 Two parents (biological and other)(c) 51.4 19.5 One biological parent 51.5 30.9 Parental Education(d) Less than high school degree 51.5 29.2 High school degree 55.0 28.9 Some college 55.6 29.4 College graduate 55.5 29.3 a. Awareness is measured as a score of 10 or greater on a parental awareness and monitoring scale of 0-16. This score corresponds roughly to a youth report of the parent knowing "some" to "most" things about the youth's (a) close friends, (b) close friends' parents, (c) company when not at home, and (d) teachers and school activities.
b. Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.
c. This includes families with one biological parent and one nonbiological parent figure in the household. This resident nonbiological parent figure can be a step-parent, adoptive parent, foster parent, spouse or romantic partner of the biological parent, or a relative or other adult who is "like a parent" to the respondent. A greater share of biological parents are mothers and a greater share of other parents are fathers.
d. In two-parent households, "parental education" refers to the highest level of education attained between the two residential parents/parent figures.
Note: Analyses are based on a universe of adolescents, aged 12-14, who lived with a mother or mother figure, or father or father figure in 2000. For single parents, awareness is measured among a different group of children for the mother than for the father. For these families, differences in outcomes between mothers and fathers could be due to characteristics of the parents, or characteristics of the children that live with them.
Source: Child Trends' analyses of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth - 1997, Rounds 1 and 4.
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Time spent with parents
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In two-parent families, children under age 13 spent an average of 1 hour and 46 minutes engaged in activities with their fathers and 2 hours and 21 minutes doing so with their mothers on a daily basis in 1997. This was substantially more time than children in single-parent families spent with their fathers (25 minutes) and mothers (1 hour and 16 minutes). Note that children in both family types spent more time with their mothers than with their fathers. Also, the amount of time that children spent with either parent generally decreased with age. Nonresidential parents are not presented in this indicator.
Average amount of time children under age 13 are engaged in some activity
with parents per day, by family structure: 1997Source: Estimates supplied by J. Sandberg, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, based on data from the 1997 Panel Study of Income Dynamics - Child Development Supplement. As reported in Child Trends. (2002). Charting parenthood: A statistical portrait of fathers and mothers in America. Washington, DC: Author.
Table 7.
Average amount of time (in hours and minutes) per day that children under age
13 are engaged in some activity with parents, by selected characteristics: 1997Two-parent families Single-parent families Fathers Mothers Fathers Mothers Total 1:46 2:21 0:25 1:16 Race and Hispanic Origin(a) White, non-Hispanic 1:48 2:21 0:31 1:13 Black, non-Hispanic 1:11 1:55 0:17 1:12 Hispanic 1:46 2:32 0:32 2:09 Other 2:06 2:33 0:24 1:06 Age of Child 0-2 years 2:07 3:14 0:45 2:16 3-5 years 1:53 2:29 0:24 1:34 6-9 years 1:36 2:04 0:18 0:57 10-12 years 1:30 1:45 0:20 0:44 a. Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.
Source: Estimates supplied by J. Sandberg, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, based on data from the 1997 Panel Study of Income Dynamics - Child Development Supplement. As reported in Child Trends. (2002). Charting parenthood: A statistical portrait of fathers and mothers in America. Washington, DC: Author.
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Contact with nonresident parents
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Overall, 60 percent of children from non-intact families had some contact with their nonresident fathers and 78 percent had contact with their nonresident mothers in 1997. Children living with a parent with higher levels of education were more likely to have had contact with their nonresident parent. Seventy-four percent of children whose resident mother had a college degree had contact with their nonresident father in the previous year, compared with 44 percent of children whose mothers had less than a high school degree. Likewise, 88 percent of children whose resident father had graduated college had contact with their nonresident mother, compared with 69 percent of those living with fathers who had not graduated from high school.
Percentage of children with any contact with nonresident parent in the previous year, by educational attainment of resident parent: 1997
Source: Estimates calculated by Child Trends based on analyses of the 1998 April Supplement of the Current Population Survey. As reported in Child Trends. (2002). Charting parenthood: A statistical portrait of fathers and mothers in America. Washington, DC: Author.
Contact with nonresident father Contact with nonresident mother Table 8.
Percentage of children with any contact a with nonresident parent in the previous year,
by selected characteristics, as reported by resident parent: 1997 (b,c)Total 60 78 Race and Hispanic Origin (d) White, non-Hispanic 68 81 Black, non-Hispanic 51 70 Hispanic 48 63 Asian/Pacific Islander 53 * American Indian/Alaskan Native 50 * Poverty Status Poor (0 to 99% poverty) 50 72 Extreme poverty (at 50% or less) 47 69 Nonpoor 100% to 199% of poverty 58 70 200% to 299% of poverty 66 77 300% or more of poverty 71 84 Resident Parent's Highest Level of Education Less than high school 44 69 High school graduate or equivalent 61 76 Some college(e) 65 81 College graduate 74 88 *. This information is not reported due to an insufficient number of cases.
a. "Contact" indicates that the child spent time with his/her nonresident father/mother on at least one day of the previous year.
b. All demographic characteristics (excluding income and poverty status) are as of March of the following year.
c. Estimates are calculated only for households with a child (under age 21) who lives with one biological parent and whose other parent is absent.
d. Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.
e. Some college includes vocational or technical school after high school, as well as college attendance.
Source: Child Trends' analysis of the 1998 April Supplement of the Current Population Survey. As reported in Child Trends. (2002). Charting Parenthood: A Statistical Portrait of Fathers and Mothers in America. Washington, DC: Author
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