Abstract
Many households in Mongolia are facing increased livelihood and financial insecurity due to rapid social, economic, political, and climate changes. There is concern regarding the effects of a loss in livelihoods and shifting gender roles on family dynamics in these households. This historical cross-sectional study explores patterns of father presence and father engagement with children under five in Mongolia between 2000–2013 using Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) data. Trend analyses were performed to explore changes in father presence and engagement from the four most recent datasets. Patterns were explored for demographic subgroups such as region of residence, urban/rural residence, child’s sex, and whether the household owned livestock. Multivariate logistic regression was also performed to adjust for potential confounding variables and covariates. The national point-prevalence of father presence fluctuated from 78–83% while father engagement fluctuated between 40–49% across the survey time-points. These fluctuations were only significant for father presence. Significant changes in father presence and engagement were evident in the Khangai, Central, and Ulaanbaatar regions, while in the Western region only significant changes for father engagement were found. Logistic regression showed a change in point-prevalence of father engagement between 2005 and 2010 and between 2005 and 2013, and changes in father presence and engagement over time remained significant after controlling for other covariates such as SES. The changes in father presence and engagement in many households may be due to the economic insecurities brought about by rapid macro-environmental changes.
Highlights
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78–83% of homes in Mongolia reported a father in the household and father presence varied by region in Mongolia, level of maternal education, household wealth quintile and whether a family owned livestock.
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40–49% of homes in Mongolia reported that the father engaged in activities with children under five years old in the household.
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Father engagement varied by whether a father was reported to be a member of the household as well as by region in Mongolia, mother’s educational level, and household wealth quintile.
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There have been fluctuations in patterns of father presence and engagement over time between 2000 and 2013 indicating these variables may be influenced by broader sociopolitical or environmental changes that are occurring in Mongolia.
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Data Availability
The datasets analyzed during the current study are available by request in the UNICEF Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey repository: https://mics.unicef.org/surveys
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Acknowledgements
The Queen’s University Department of Public Health Sciences provided a Queen’s Graduate Award for Lesley Pablo. We are also grateful for the advice, guidance and access to the datasets provided by UNICEF Mongolia and the National Statistics Office of Mongolia.
Funding
This study was funded through a Queen’s University internal Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Exchange Grant #TRAQ 6023744. L. Pablo was supported through a Queen’s University Graduate Award in the Department of Public Health Sciences.
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C.D. conceptualized the study. Data analysis and preparation of the initial manuscript draft was performed by L.A.P. under the supervision of C.D. Both authors contributed towards the study design, interpretation of results, and critical revision of the manuscript. Both authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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The study protocol was approved by the Queen’s University Health Sciences & Affiliated Teaching Hospitals Research Ethics Board (TRAQ #6024437).
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Pablo, L.A., Davison, C.M. Patterns in Father Presence and Engagement in Mongolia: A Historical Cross-Sectional Study. J Child Fam Stud 30, 2808–2821 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-021-02006-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-021-02006-1