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Journal Article Gender role development was assessed in 52 father-absent and 54 father-present African American adolescents. Father-present boys, especially those from lower-income backgrounds, had higher perceptions of their masculinity than did father-absent boys. Lower income father-absent girls perceived themselves to be higher in masculinity than did all other girls. Consequently, father-present adolescents tended to have more traditional gender role orientations than did those in father-absent homes. It is argued that mothers' and fathers' different socializing strategies balance out in two-parent…
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Journal Article Most immigration studies focus on the negative consequences of immigration for families and for parenting. Immigration is also viewed as a factor that undermines fathers' capacity to implement their fathering roles. The impact of immigration on fathers has received very little attention. This paper is based on 54 interviews with immigrant fathers to Canada and Israel. Based on qualitative data, the paper investigates immigrant fathers' perceptions of fatherhood in the midst of cultural change. This paper challenges the widely held notion that immigration itself is a risk factor for fatherhood…
This paper examines the impact of substance abuse on family functioning from two perspectives: children as victims of parental drug use and the family's role in preventing children's abuse of drugs and alcohol. The discussion addresses the health effects of parental substance abuse on the family in the form of prenatal exposure, environmental tobacco smoke, and injuries to children when parents are under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The financial consequences of smoking and alcohol abuse, marital problems related to substance abuse, social isolation, and risk for domestic violence…
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Journal Article This qualitative study gives voice to Latino fathers' perceptions of their roles and values in family life by analyzing data collected from 32 Latino men residing in an Urban Mexican setting and both urban and rural settings in the U.S. The authors utilize a symbolic interactionist framework and ecological theory to illustrate the cultural nature of fatherhood constructions, the impact of immigration on patterns of change and continuity in paternal behaviors and values, and the importance of intergenerational influences in the formation of fatherhood perceptions. Fathers articulate the…
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Journal Article Social services in multicultural societies often assist families in cultural transitions. These processes are seen as carrying potential risks and threats for families and children. Studies primarily examine immigration as a complex transition that affects the stability and continuity of family roles. This study focuses on the impact of immigration on the role of fathers. Moving away both from the risk theory of immigration and the deficit theory of fatherhood, this study focuses rather on the systemic barriers and obstacles facing immigrant fathers in their new country and the positive…
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Journal Article The purpose of this study was to explore the relation between self-esteem, sociodemographic factors, father-daughter relationships, and sexual risk-taking in an economically diverse group of late-adolescent African American girls. Participants were 100 African American adolescent girls from the Southeast region of the U.S. Regression analyses revealed that fathers' education was the most powerful predictor of sexual risk, with self-esteem emerging as a significant, yet less powerful predictor. A subset of the initial sample participated in a secondary, qualitative study explicitly examining…
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Journal Article A developmental ecological model was used to identify child attributes, father characteristics, and familial factors associated with multidimensional father involvement with preschool children enrolled in Head Start. The relations between father involvement and children's school readiness were also investigated. Eighty-five African American fathers and father figures were surveyed about their involvement in child care, home-based educational and school-based educational activities. Children's school readiness competencies were evaluated via teacher report or direct assessment. Father…
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Journal Article Much of the literature on African American fathers has tended to perpetuate a stereotype of absent and unsupportive parenting. This study employs a life course perspective to investigate the extent and predictors of involvement by young fathers. Data come from the Rochester Youth Development Study, a longitudinal study that has followed a representative sample of urban youth since they were in the seventh or eighth grade. Analysis is based on the young men in the sample who became fathers by age 22, of whom 67% are African American. Results suggest that African American fathers do not differ…
