We found that frequency of contact with children was related to fathers' social class, income and employment status - the higher these were, the greater the contact. Overnight contact was most common for high-income fathers. An adequate income, however, does not ensure positive post-divorce parenting. Ongoing or recurring conflict in the family, particularly between the parents, is a crucial factor in undermining attempts to renegotiate fatherhood. Not all those who were amicable during the divorce managed to maintain this happy state as time went on.
Conflict has a nasty habit of breaking out when the going gets tough - especially financially.
After divorce, fathers have to carve out a new role, one distinctly separate from that of mothers. The amount and frequency of the contact they have with their children is almost certainly related to the quality of the relationship they are able to achieve with their ex-wives. If this relationship is poor or non-existent, and contacts with children infrequent, there are few, if any, other means open to them of sustaining and supporting an active role in their children's lives. In terms of policy, it is crucial that legal processes and family law are supportive of parents in a way that acknowledges the complexities of post-divorce family life. The fathers in our study were particularly critical of the lack of dedicated support services.