Study finds incomes and relationships under greater stress in stepfamilies
Although family life and circumstances in stepfamilies are very similar to those in 'first families' where children are living with both birth parents, there are significant differences, including lower average household incomes and greater signs of stress among parents.
Research funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation compared the lives of men and women in their early 30s who were bringing up children in stepfamilies with their counterparts in first families. It found that polarisation between 'work rich' families where both partners had paid jobs and 'work poor' households where no one had a job was especially marked among stepfamilies.
Yet in spite of including a higher proportion of dual earner households, incomes in stepfamilies were lower on average than those of their counterparts in first families. Lower incomes reflected a tendency for parents in stepfamilies (with the exception of stepmothers) to have lower status jobs associated with poorer educational qualifications. This suggested that their relative disadvantage, in economic terms, was linked to previous experiences and characteristics, rather than being part of a stepfamily.
Using data from the National Child Development Study, Elsa Ferri and Kate Smith of City University found that although most parents in stepfamilies were happy in their partnerships, a larger minority reported being unhappy, compared with parents in first families. The percentage of parents in stepfamilies who said they disagreed about the way children should be brought up was also higher than among their contemporaries in first families.
The researchers also noted that poorer relationships and higher levels of conflict between parents were more common in those stepfamilies where children had been born to the new couple. This suggested that far from 'cementing' the new family unit, there were stresses associated with the new relationships created by its expansion.
A further difference was a greater tendency towards depression among parents in stepfamilies. As with first families, it was especially marked in families where neither partner worked, and among mothers whose partners made little contribution to childcare and child rearing.
Contrary to popular perception, however, the study found that stepfathers tend to be more involved in the care and upbringing of their dependent children than biological fathers. Stepfathers were the most common source of care while mothers were at work. They were also more likely to take responsibility for teaching children good behaviour and to take an equal share of day-to-day childcare tasks.
Even so, mothers in stepfamilies bore the brunt of routine childcare and household chores. This weight of domestic commitments appeared all the heavier since mothers in stepfamilies tended to work longer hours than those in first families, as well as having more children in their care.
Dr. Ferri said: "The background of economic and emotional difficulties described in these findings makes it easier to understand the greater propensity for second partnerships to break down. Our study points to a need for more support for parenting in stepfamilies which to date has received little recognition from policy makers. To address the particular circumstances and needs of stepfamilies would acknowledge the realities of family life for a large and growing number of mothers, fathers and children."
