Dads on the Dotted Line: A Look at the In-Hospital Paternity Establishment Process

This is a link to a working paper that examines the process of voluntary paternity establishment from two perspectives—that of unmarried parents and that of birth registrars certified to administer the process. The study focuses on the context of the establishment process itself rather than the characteristics of those who establish paternity or do not. Specifically, the authors explore 1) the primary duties, training, and levels of experience of birth registrars 2) whether or not birth registrars are supported in their roles  3) the major obstacles identified by birth registrars to establishing paternity in-hospital, and 4) the extent to which birth registrars understand parents’ reasons for establishing or not establishing paternity in the hospital.