Research released by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has revealed that 14% of children in Ireland between the ages of nine months and five years do not live with their fathers full-time, reports RTE.
The ESRI reports that by the time children reach the age of nine, this number increases to 18%.
The findings, based on data from the Growing Up in Ireland study conducted in collaboration with the Department of Children, show that families affected by parental separation tend to face more socioeconomic disadvantages, reports RTE.
In homes where fathers were not living with their children, the mothers were typically “much younger”, had lower educational attainment, and were more commonly located in urban settings.
The study found that these fathers generally had less formal education, faced higher unemployment, and experienced more financial hardship.
Half of the mothers in these situations reported that the non-resident fathers saw their babies or toddlers several times a week, reports RTE.
However, as children began school, contact with fathers became less regular. Still, about one-third of five- and nine-year-olds saw their fathers at least a few times each week.
At each age level studied, just over one in four non-resident fathers had minimal or no contact with their children, reports RTE.
While many of the non-resident fathers were engaged in their children’s lives, approximately half expressed a desire for more frequent interaction with their child.
There were differences in how often fathers and mothers reported the father’s contact with the child, with mothers tending to report less frequent contact than fathers, reports RTE.
At age nine, just over half (53%) of children said they got on “very well” with their fathers, suggesting the strong role fathers continued to play in their lives.
The research found that 38% of separated mothers received regular financial support from the child’s father, while 11% reported receiving money on “an ad hoc basis”, reports RTE.
These payments were described by the ESRI as being especially important for “a significant group of families”.
For the purpose of the study, mothers were asked to help connect researchers with the fathers by sharing contact details or relaying information, reports RTE.
When children were between nine months and three years old, about one in three mothers agreed to facilitate contact with the fathers. That number dropped to just over one in four by the time the child was nine.
Researchers said that understanding a child’s full experience required input from both parents, even those not living in the same household,reports RTE.
“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 had more frequent interactions with their children were more inclined to participate in the survey, reports RTE.
Among fathers contacted when their child was three years old, 35% responded to the survey. But by the time the child reached age nine, that figure had declined to 14%.
According to co-author Merike Darmody, separated parents were more open to participating in research when the goals and uses of the study were clearly communicated, reports RTE.
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