Second nest fathers

Gijs Beets, Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI)
Tineke Fokkema, Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI)

Changing norms and values on and behaviour in family issues (among which increasing divorce rates) lead to more men going for a second intimate relationship. Having a second partner may lead men to have a second ‘nest’ of children, also because they are not faced with a clear biological clock. How often and at what age do men father a second nest, and what are the trends over time? How do people perceive these fathers? And what is their profile? Statistics show that the phenomenon is (still?) relatively rare in the Netherlands. The Population Policy Acceptance Survey contains a question on how people perceive second nest fathers. We assume that typical second nest fathers perceive the issue positively, but what population groups are most negative? The Netherlands Kinship Panel Study (NKPS) and Divorce in the Netherlands (SIN) shows what typical characteristics second nest fathers have. On which points do they deviate from men in second relationships without children, and do second nest fathers play another role towards their children than first nest fathers?