Table 2.
Behavioral and Relationship Characteristics After a Nonmarital Birth
| Variable | One-Year Follow-up | Three-Year Follow-up | Five-Year Follow-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| All Unmarried Fathers | |||
| Father employed | 74 | 71 | 76 |
| Father’s earnings ($) | 19,507 | 20,669 | 22,758 |
| Father ever in jail or prison | 39 | 50 | 53 |
| Father used drugs | 10 | 12 | 15 |
| Relationship status with biological mother | |||
| Married | 11 | 15 | 16 |
| Cohabiting | 37 | 26 | 18 |
| Romantically involved | 12 | 6 | 5 |
| No relationship | 40 | 53 | 61 |
| Resident fathers | 52 | 44 | 36 |
| Nonresident fathers | 48 | 56 | 65 |
| Nonresident Fathers | |||
| Mother new partner | 26 | 41 | 51 |
| Married to new partner | 9 | 10 | 17 |
| Cohabiting with new partner | 40 | 56 | 69 |
| Father new partner | 23 | 44 | 51 |
| Married to new partner | 13 | 14 | 16 |
| Cohabiting with new partner | 43 | 70 | 60 |
| Mother new child by new partner | 2 | 18 | 24 |
| Father new child by new partner | 3 | 9 | 26 |
| Saw child since previous survey | 87 | 73 | 66 |
| Saw child in past month | 63 | 49 | 46 |
| Mean number of days father saw child | 9.9 | 8.9 | 8.7 |
| N | 3,243 | 3,123 | 3,050 |
Notes: Weighted by national sampling weights for each survey year. All values are percentages unless otherwise indicated.