When men become fathers - The effects of fatherhood on leisure activities, life satisfaction, and family relations

This study uses data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) to analyze the effect of fatherhood on different aspects of the everyday life of men. The results indicate that fatherhood positively affects men's life satisfaction, civic engagement, religious participation, and the closeness of the relationship between men and their families of origin. These findings extend past research, which primarily called attention to the negative effects of fatherhood, such as increased psychological strain, reduced marital satisfaction and limitations in leisure activities. Distinguishing between biological fathers and stepfathers shows that the effect of fatherhood differs between both types of fathers with respect to their civic and religious engagements as well as to their relation to their parents.