The majority of African American children live in homes without their fathers, but the proportion of African American children living in intact, two-parent families has risen significantly since 1995. Black Fathers in Contemporary American Society looks at father absence from two sides, offering an in-depth analysis of how the absence of African American fathers affects their children, their relationships, and society as a whole, while countering the notion that father absence and family fragmentation within the African American community is inevitable. Editors Obie Clayton, Ronald B. Mincy,…
Rev. Rick Meyer contends that when children do not have the assurance of knowing they are deeply loved and cherished, persistent emotional deficits often result. Males experience and express these deficits in unique ways. The boys and men profiled in I Love You, Son reflect the struggles of adolescent boys and adult males as they face their own emotional deficits in relation to God, self, and others. This unique contribution to the topic of being male today encourages men's efforts as husbands and fathers and extends the words of God--"Behold, my son, whom I love" (Matthew 3:17)--to all men…
This indicator brief outlines six broad strategies for increasing the percentage of children living in two-parent families: address the linkages between economic security and stable families, discourage nonmarital childbearing and encourage family formation, remove obstacles to marriage, adopt policies aimed at increasing the chances of marital success, ensure that children benefit from both parents' emotional and financial support, and support research on the effects of family structure on children's well-being. (Author abstract modified)
This paper utilizes the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study to investigate if a father's previous incarceration reduces the stability in the relationship between parents who recently had a child. Our results suggest that parents that were non-co-resident at the time of the birth of their child are 19 percent less likely to cohabit 12 months later ifthe father has been incarcerated. Similarly, non-co-resident couples are 37 percent less likely to be married 12 months after the birth of their child if the father has been incarcerated. (Author abstract).
Almost one-third of all children and 70% of African American children in the U.S. are born to parents who are not married. At the time of children's births, almost all unmarried fathers have contact with their infants, but this connection drops over time. This study presents a study of 55 unmarried low-income African American couples in the early months after the birth of a child. The study considers the implications of the quality of parents' couple relationship, as well as of parents' demographics, personal resources, and family structure for understanding variation in fathers' involvement…
