Mums Prefer Step-Dads—Study

Australian ‘at-risk’ mums rate their partners slightly higher as ‘good fathers’ if they are not the biological fathers of the children, according to a study published in the Journal of Marriage and Family in August.

According to lead researcher Lawrence Berger, stepfathers were more likely than biological fathers to share a mother’s parenting views, and show a higher level of cooperation.

However, mothers’ more positive views about step-fathers may have been influenced by the fact that they were compared to a biological father they had broken up with, while mothers living with the biological fathers of their children has no such comparison.

Good news about step-parents is rare: Statistics from both New Zealand and overseas show substantially increased child abuse rates in homes with a live-in step-parent.

However other research has found that a positive relationship with a step-parent can contribute to better attitudes about sex in adolescents.