Nonresident mothers' and fathers' social contact with children

This study investigates sex differences in nonresident parents' level of contact with biological children with whom they do not live. With data from Households, I assess social contact using nonresident parents' own reports of frequency of telephone calls and letters, in-person visits, and extended visitation. Multivariate results show that nonresident mothers and fathers are similar with higher levels of telephone and letter contact and extended visitation. These results suggest that nonresident mothers' and fathers' relative frequencies of involvement with their absent children are not as straightforward as previously thought. Although traditional gender roles may encourage greater contact between nonresident mothers and absent children on some dimensions of contact, results suggest that nonresident mothers and fathers may encounter circumstances that make frequent in-person contacts with absent children difficult to maintain.