Experts

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Linda Nielsen

Professor of Education

Nielsen’s special interest is father-daughter relationships and shared parenting/joint physical custody for children with separated parents.

Biography

Linda Nielsen is a nationally renowned expert on father-daughter relationships and shared physical custody for children of divorce. For more than 25 years, she has taught the only known college class in the U.S. devoted exclusively to father-daughter relationships. Her latest book, Father-Daughter Relationships: Contemporary Research and Issues, is written for college students and professionals… Read More »

Linda Nielsen is a nationally renowned expert on father-daughter relationships and shared physical custody for children of divorce. For more than 25 years, she has taught the only known college class in the U.S. devoted exclusively to father-daughter relationships. Her latest book, Father-Daughter Relationships: Contemporary Research and Issues, is written for college students and professionals who work with families.

Her research on shared physical custody is widely cited worldwide, having an impact on custody law reform in the States and abroad. She has presented her research in State Bar Association magazines and in seminars for family court lawyers and judges. She was one of the keynote speakers in the 2016 International Conference for Shared Parenting Research. Her research has been cited in more than 13 countries, 16 states and 10 recent books on family law. She has been vetted in five states as an expert research witness in child custody hearings.

Among the many media outlets that have interviewed Nielsen and featured her research are: the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, Christian Science Monitor, Washington Post, Star Tribune, USA Today, Time magazine, The Atlantic, U.S. News & World Report, Oprah magazine, National Public Radio, British Broadcasting Company, CNN, and the Public Broadcasting System (documentary).

Media Appearances

15 Alarming Facts About Divorce In The US That Will Shock You

Business Insider India

December 31, 2019

Young women who lacked the presence of their father experienced less educational prospects and weakened physical health than young women who had intact families. A study by Wake Forest expert Linda Nielsen found that young girls who grew up without the presence of their fathers may also be more likely to divorce and have other issues within their personal relationships.

How Successful Are the Marriages of People With Divorced Parents?

The Atlantic

May 30, 2019

Nielsen says that fathers can help daughters build confidence in themselves, and that this confidence serves them well when selecting their partners. Girls who grow up “hungry for a better and deeper relationship with their fathers,” she says, often try to satiate that hunger “very quickly, with the first guys that come along.”

How Moms and Dads Divide the Work

The New York Times

May 18, 2019

According to Nielsen, regardless of education or income, mothers do not always welcome or support the father’s equal participation in child rearing. To justify mothers being in a rage over child care because the world values men’s “needs, comforts and desires more than women’s” insults children and the dads who love them and long for more time with them.

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More Information

Areas of Expertise

  • Children of Divorce
  • Fatherhood Myths
  • Fathers and Daughters
  • Joint Physical Custody

Education

University of Tennessee: Ed.D., Educational Psychology & Counseling

University of Tennessee: M.Ed., Educational Psychology & Counseling

University of Tennessee: B.S., Teacher Education

Contact

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