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The first webinar in the 2012-2013 IRP series, The Implications of Complex Families for Poverty and Child Support Policy, was presented by two national experts in the field, Maria Cancian and Daniel R. Meyer. We often think of families with children as including a mother, father, and their children in common. However, about 40 percent of children are now born to unmarried parents, and estimates suggest that more often than not, one or both of these parents will go on to have children with other partners--that is, the mother will go on to have a child with a different father and/or the father…
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Journal Article We examined the activities that low-income, ethnically diverse fathers of sons versus daughters engage in with their children in the preschool years. African American, Latino, and White fathers ( N = 426) from research sites across the United States, were interviewed about their caregiving, play, literacy, and visiting activities when their children were 2 years, 3 years, and preschool age. Fathers of boys engaged more frequently in physical play than fathers of girls, whereas fathers of girls engaged more frequently in literacy activities. Moreover, gendered patterns of father engagement…
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Journal Article I interviewed 57 low-income fathers about how they define responsible fatherhood. Unlike findings from previous research, their definition did not include financial provision or daily caregiving. Instead, their definition included six dimensions, some of which resemble a "Big Brother": spending time in non-caregiving activities; avoiding harm by voluntarily distancing from the child when it is in the child's best interest; acknowledging paternity in non-legal forums; spending money on gifts, joint activities, and special needs; monitoring the child's home for trouble; and minimizing absences…
