Unemployed fathers and their children: Implications for policy and practice

This paper reviews the literature on the family effects of unemployment in order to specify how changes in the economy might effect fathering during periods of unemployment. The purpose for doing so is to provide information to clinicians on how job loss effects family dynamics. This paper is organized around three variables that are seen as influencing the father and child relationship. These variables are: the father's reaction to job loss, the mother's reaction to job loss, and the characteristics of the child. The paper ends with a discussion of the policy and practice implications of the literature.