Custodial Fathers: Do They Work More or Few Hours?

Abstract

In this paper, we examine the effect of custody status on working hours by fathers. The primary data used in this study are the March and April match files of the 1992 Current Population Survey (CPS) conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Census. From the empirical results, we find that, on average, custodial fathers relative to all other fathers are more likely to hold a full-time job and they work more hours. In addition, a custodial father’s marital status is closely correlated with his work hours and full-time working decision. Among custodial fathers, unmarried fathers are more likely to work full-time and for longer hours while married fathers are less likely to work full-time and they work fewer hours.