Parenting in Interracial Union

Kate H. Choi, University of Western Ontario

Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, we examine differences in the parenting behaviour of parents in interracial and same-race unions. We find that parents in interracial unions have a harder time cooperating than parents in single-race unions, and that this difficulty is especially pronounced when the father lives apart from the child. Co-resident fathers of multiracial infants spend more time encouraging and engaging in activities with their children than co-resident fathers of single-race children, but the opposite pattern holds for non-resident fathers. Finally, we find that differences in parenting behaviours are due in part to differences in parents’ socioeconomic status, family complexity, and the availability of social support from extended kin.