Does the Parenting of Divorced Mothers and Fathers Affect Children’s Well-Being in the Same Way?

This study is embedded within a recent theoretical shift emphasising the importance of fathers as equal co-parents. Nevertheless, research examining whether fathers and mothers are equally important to the well-being of children remains underdeveloped. For this reason, we investigate first whether the impact of maternal and paternal parenting is equally important to the well-being of children after divorce. Second, we examine whether maternal and paternal parenting is equally important for children’s well-being in different custodial arrangements. Using constraint-moderated structural equation models, we analyse a subsample of the ‘Divorce in Flanders’ dataset, which contains information on 363 children and their divorced parents. Results reveal that the impact of maternal and paternal parenting is equally important to the well-being of children. This remains the same for both children in joint custody and in families with non-residential fathers. Parental support has a particularly strong effect in improving the well-being of children. The parenting of divorced fathers is therefore just as important to the well-being of children as is the parenting of divorced mothers.