To Parent or Provide? the Effect of the Provider Role on Low-Income Men's Decisions about Fatherhood and Paternal Engagement

Abstract

Results of a qualitative study of low-income men’s experience with the provider role are reported here. This study explored how 47 low-income men construct, express, and negotiate their identities as fathers and providers, and perceived barriers presented by the provider role. Overall, fathers consistently expressed the need to redefine the provider role in to include social and emotional components. Additionally, fathers articulated the many barriers and social pressures they experience as a result of the provider role, and how these barriers create an environment that is detrimental to their attempts at being a father, and how this could lead to their disengagement from the lives of their children.