Qualitative Working Paper: Parental Investments in Children

Abstract

This study examines how an unconditional cash transfer reshaped low-income parents’ experiences of time and caregiving, focusing on the emergence of presence-centered parenting, a caregiving approach grounded in emotional attunement, relational connection, and everyday co-regulation. Drawing on six waves of qualitative interviews with 117 parents participating in a randomized controlled trial, we identify four key mechanisms through which the cash transfer supported parents’ ability to be present with their children: (1) reduced financial stress that freed up cognitive and emotional bandwidth for caregiving; (2) work flexibility that allowed parents to reclaim time and reconfigure routines around caregiving priorities; (3) investments in parental well-being that enhanced emotional availability and responsive parenting; and (4) expenditures on shared experiences that deepened relational bonds. Our findings challenge dominant frameworks that prioritize structured, future-oriented parental investments by highlighting the importance of informal, relational time investments that foster emotional security and connection. This work offers a new conceptual lens for understanding how parental time use shifts under conditions of constraint and relief, with direct implications for social policies aimed at supporting the relational and emotional dimensions of caregiving in low-income families.

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