Divorced fathers’ proximity and children’s long run outcomes: Evidence from Norwegian registry data

This study examines the link between divorced nonresident fathers’ proximity and children’slong-run outcomes using high-quality data from Norwegian population registers. We follow(from birth to young adulthood) 15,992 children born into married households in Norway inthe years 1975-1979 whose parents divorce during his or her childhood. We observe theproximity of the child to his or her father in each year following the divorce and linkproximity to children’s educational and economic outcomes in young adulthood, controllingfor a wide range of observable characteristics of the parents and the child. Our results showthat closer proximity to the father following a divorce has, on average, a modest negativeassociation with offspring’s young-adult outcomes. The negative associations are strongeramong children of highly-educated fathers...