Do Fathers Matter for Early Child Development?: New Evidence from Nairobi, Kenya

Sangeetha Madhavan, University of Maryland
Patricia Wekelo, African Population and Health Research Center
Mike Wagner, University of Maryland
Blessing Mberu, African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC)

The growth of research interest and data on the role of fathers in the African context provides an ideal context to explore the extent to which fathers’ support matters for earl child development. In this analysis, we draw on 5 waves of data from an ongoing longitudinal study in two low income communities in Nairobi, Kenya to 1) assess the type and duration of support provided by fathers and 2) examine the extent to which such support benefits child development net of maternal and household factors. Because we know that support from fathers depends on the status of the union with the mother, we also 3) examine whether union status moderates the effect of father support on child development. Preliminary results suggest that, contrary to common portrayal, father involvement is relatively high at all waves and that this involvement supports some dimensions of early child development. The importance of this work is underscored by calls to involve fathers more robustly in child rearing.

Keywords: Families, Unions and Households, Children, Adolescents, and Youth

See extended abstract.