The mission of the Fatherhood Movement is to reestablish the relationships between fathers and their children that are necessary for a strong society. This book examines the reasons why contemporary fathers are not involved in family life from the historical, social, economic, and spiritual perspectives. Written by experts from a wide range of disciplines, the chapters recommend actions that can be taken by individuals, organizations, and government agencies to engage fathers and support their families. Topics include the development of the Fatherhood Movement, the importance of fathers, the…
This study was designed to explore possible differences between adoptive and biological fathers in terms of how much they enjoyed being involved in child care and child rearing activities with their young children. Anonymous questionnaires were returned by 85 adoptive and 98 biological first-time fathers with one child age three or younger. The results indicated that adoptive fathers derived greater enjoyment from their involvement in their children's lives than did biological fathers. Interestingly, the two most significant items were enjoy caring for a dependent human being and enjoy…
This executive summary describes the methodology used to investigate strategies States are using to promote responsible fatherhood and outcomes of the study. A demographic profile of fathers is provided that includes information on working fathers, father involvement in schools, and child support. Findings from the report indicate: 38 of the 45 responding States are engaging in current activities using public awareness to promote responsible fatherhood; 37 States sponsor one or more initiatives to help prevent unwanted or too-early fatherhood; 43 States use strategies to help fathers be…
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Journal Article Recent cases that awarded custody to the birth father of a child have prompted state legislatures to reform adoption laws that were originally intended to secure permanency for children who had lost both parents. Contemporary cases often involve unwed fathers who are not given the opportunity to approve or object to the adoption. However, judgments that favor the birth father in such cases cause the separation of the child from the only parents he or she has ever known, causing attachment disruption and other difficulties. States attempted to remedy the situation by either expanding their…
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Journal Article This article examines provisions of the Uniform Adoption Act in the context of efforts by unwed fathers to assume custody of children who have been adopted. It describes the psychological impact of adoption on the birth parents, the adoptive parents, and the child, and highlights court decisions in three controversial cases involving the rights of unwed fathers in adoptions. In each case, the biological father sought to overturn an adoption to which the biological mother had consented. The adoptive parents countered with charges that the father had abandoned his child. The Uniform Adoption…
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Journal Article When states establish paternity registries they must set deadlines after which an unwed father cannot assert his right to paternity, the author states. While these laws apply to paternity registration in cases where a mother chooses to keep her baby, state statutes vary on whether such registration deadlines should apply in custody cases where the mother later decides to put the child up for adoption. The author explores federal and state legal rulings relevant to the discussion, noting that some states measure the date of child's birth as the beginning of this registration period while…
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Journal Article The relative extent to which mothers and fathers administer physical punishment sheds light on family relationships, parental roles and, perhaps, the identity of potential abusers. In this study, 362 British mothers and 103 fathers of randomly selected children from 366 two-parent families were interviewed. According to self-reports, the proportions of mothers and fathers who had used physical punishments were similar, as were the frequencies with which they used them. About 50 percent more mothers than fathers smacked or hit their children weekly or more often, whereas fathers were more…
This study examined the characteristics of caseworkers that affect their work with the birth fathers of children in kinship care. Fifty-four caseworkers were interviewed about case assessment procedures, permanency planning activities, service provision, frequency and content of contacts with the child and family, and consultations on 100 cases. Almost two-thirds of the caseworkers participating in the study reported that they had no contact with the father of the focus child during the previous six months. Only 2 percent of fathers were involved in the most recent case review and 6 percent…
This 1999 report on State programs to encourage responsible fatherhood is organized into 5 chapters and provides 2 sets of information. National and State-by-State indicators give a profile of fathers and fatherhood in each State, examining such indicators as family structure, employment, educational attainment, poverty status, and State activity in collecting child support. The other set of information provides aggregate and State-by-State information on the policies and practices regarding responsible fatherhood. The introduction of the report gives a societal view of fatherhood and…
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Journal Article Neoconservative social scientists have claimed that fathers are essential to positive child development and that responsible fathering is most likely to occur within the context of heterosexual marriage. This perspective is generating a range of governmental initiatives designed to provide social support preferences to fathers over mothers and to heterosexual married couples over alternative family forms. The authors propose that the neoconservative position is an incorrect or oversimplified interpretation of empirical research. Using a wide range of cross-species, cross-cultural, and social…
