The talk of unwed adolescent fathers of Mexican origin: A discourse analysis

Abstract

The aim of this study was to apply Gee’s theory and method for discourse analysis to arrive at a theory of how unwed, adolescent fathers of Mexican origin talk about fatherhood and how fatherhood discourses reveal aims to attain self-defined social goods, including power, status, and recognition. Face-to-face, semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven participants who were unwed biological fathers of one or more children, 18 or 19 years old, identified as being of Mexican origin and spoke either English or Spanish. Interview data were analyzed using Gee’s 42 questions for discourse analysis. Findings contribute to the literature on biological father absence, fragile families and child wellbeing, and teenage pregnancy from the adolescent father’s perspective.