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Journal Article Objectives: To: 1) review the historical contexts and current profiles of father involvement in African American families; 2) identify barriers to, and supports of, involvement; 3) evaluatethe effectiveness of father involvement programs; and 4) recommend directions for future research, programs, and public policies. Methods: Review of observational and interventional studies on father involvement. Results: Several historical developments (slavery, declining employment for Black men and increasing workforce participation for Blackwomen, and welfare policies that favored single mothers) led to…
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Journal Article The article explores social inequality in the U.S. penal system. The authors report that the prison and jail population is experiencing rapid growth and producing a disadvantaged social group. They focus on the lives and families of young African American men in prisons and local jails and the increase in incarceration rate for African American males from 1980 to 2010. The authors suggest that incarceration creates inequality that is invisible to mainstream society but that diminishes social and economic opportunities for people who are already disadvantaged. The authors suggest that social…
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Journal Article Sir Richard Bowlby, son of John Bowlby, has carried on his father's work by lecturing and writing on the topic of attachment theory. He has initiated and maintained international connections with researchers, practitioners and agencies in the field of child development, and has produced training videos to more widely disseminate information about attachment theory to professionals working with children and families. In this interview, conducted in London in February of 2009, Richard responded to questions regarding the father's role as an attachment figure, highlighting new theoretical…
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Journal Article In this analysis, we explore how low-income African American fathers build understandings of successful manhood in the context of community-based responsible fatherhood programs. Drawing on life history interviews with 75 men in Illinois and Indiana, we explore men's attempts to fulfill normative expectations of fatherhood while living in communities with limited resources. We examine the efforts of community-based fatherhood programs to shape alternative African American masculinities through facilitation of personal turning points and "breaks with the past," use of social support and…
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Journal Article This article presents data from the qualitative interviews of seven low-income ethnic minority men who participated in an Early Head Start (EHS) program for fathers in an economically depressed urban area in the North East. The two goals of the study were to understand the men's subjective experiences of growing up and becoming fathers and to identify the elements of the fathering program that maintained their participation over many years. The study used a semistructured interview format. The authors used grounded theory methodology to analyze the data. The narrative data suggest the ways…
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Journal Article Paternal involvement with children is associated with better outcomes for children and family functioning. There are, however, few data examining the intersection of cultural norms and paternal involvement. For Latino fathers in the United States, paternal involvement may vary on the basis of cultural and gender norms, acculturation process, and ethnic identity. The current study used self-report surveys to examine the perceptions of 67 Latino fathers regarding their paternal involvement, machismo (i.e., macho and caballerismo), degree of acculturation, and ethnic identity. The bivariate…
A father will always play a vital role in a child's growing years, especially sons. His absence or presence in the child's life will have a profound impact in the future. In Black Fathers Black Sons, author Ray Waters delves into the relationships of African-American men and reveals new insights that will fuel debate and debunk many myths. (Author abstract)
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Journal Article Using a sample of 3,977 youths from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY97), this study examines the unique characteristics of single-custodial-father families with adolescents and the effects of single fathers' involvement and parenting on outcomes in emerging adulthood. Findings suggest that single-custodial-father families are distinct from single-mother and 2-biological-parent families in terms of sociodemographic characteristics, parenting styles, and involvement. Parenting styles and involvement mediate the differences between single-father families and 2-parent families in…
Writing a book on African American manhood is truly a work-in-process. No man, no matter how old, has all the answers to the question, "What does it mean to be a real Black man?" Like all matters of image and identity, this question can only be answered by being in a relationship with a community of friends. Without the bond of friendship and respect, the effort to answer the question is likely to be marked by a competition to present the most superior image. Butler has attempted to answer the question by pointing to the fact that African American manhood is not one image or idea. Black…
The Best Kept Secret studies the often-overlooked group of single, African American custodial fathers. While the media focuses on the increase of single mothers and the decline in marriage in the black community, Roberta Coles paints a nuanced picture of single black dads. Based on qualitative research, the author looks at the parenting experience of these fathers, who may have become single parents through nonmarital births, divorce, widowhood and adoption. The fathers, ranging in age from 20 to 76, discuss their motivations for taking custody of their children, what roles they enact as…
