Life course theory and the concept of emerging adulthood were used to examine the visions of fatherhood among 14 gay men between the ages of 18- 25 years. Participants were asked to discuss their future fatherhood plans with probes for personal, family, and historical contexts. Grounded theory methods were used to analyze the data. The emergent core narrative was that these men’s plans for the future largely upheld and expanded, rather than challenged, the normative nuclear family ideal. Though barriers were anticipated, they describe their personal and historical contexts as enabling them to pursue family and children in ways that differ from past cohorts of gay men.
{"title":"Upholding and Expanding the Normal Family: Future Fatherhood through the Eyes of Gay Male Emerging Adults","authors":"C. Rabun, Ramona F. Oswald","doi":"10.3149/FTH.0703.269","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3149/FTH.0703.269","url":null,"abstract":"Life course theory and the concept of emerging adulthood were used to examine the visions of fatherhood among 14 gay men between the ages of 18- 25 years. Participants were asked to discuss their future fatherhood plans with probes for personal, family, and historical contexts. Grounded theory methods were used to analyze the data. The emergent core narrative was that these men’s plans for the future largely upheld and expanded, rather than challenged, the normative nuclear family ideal. Though barriers were anticipated, they describe their personal and historical contexts as enabling them to pursue family and children in ways that differ from past cohorts of gay men.","PeriodicalId":88482,"journal":{"name":"Fathering","volume":"7 1","pages":"269-285"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2009-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.3149/FTH.0703.269","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69843163","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Postpartum depression (PPD) leads to poor outcomes for mothers and families, yet for many reasons across various ecological strata, it remains difficult to identify. The potential role of fathers in maternal mental health has largely been unexplored. We use an ecological model to examine urban fathers’ role in identifying maternal depressive symptoms and providing partner support. In 31 qualitative interviews with urban fathers, seven fathers identified depressive symptoms such as depressed mood and loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities and fifteen reported providing emotional, instrumental, and stability support. Implications of our findings and the potential roles that fathers can assume in the ecological strata are discussed.
{"title":"Urban Fathers' Role in Maternal Postpartum Mental Health","authors":"C. Garfield, Anthony Isacco","doi":"10.3149/FTH.0703.286","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3149/FTH.0703.286","url":null,"abstract":"Postpartum depression (PPD) leads to poor outcomes for mothers and families, yet for many reasons across various ecological strata, it remains difficult to identify. The potential role of fathers in maternal mental health has largely been unexplored. We use an ecological model to examine urban fathers’ role in identifying maternal depressive symptoms and providing partner support. In 31 qualitative interviews with urban fathers, seven fathers identified depressive symptoms such as depressed mood and loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities and fifteen reported providing emotional, instrumental, and stability support. Implications of our findings and the potential roles that fathers can assume in the ecological strata are discussed.","PeriodicalId":88482,"journal":{"name":"Fathering","volume":"54 1","pages":"286-302"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2009-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.3149/FTH.0703.286","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69843206","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
T. Pehlke, C. Hennon, M. Radina, Katherine A. Kuvalanka
Domestic situational television comedies were examined for various themes of father involvement. Twelve programs from the six major networks were recorded during the fall 2004 season. All instances that involved either discussion or fulfillment of the father role were transcribed. Inductive thematic analysis led to the identification of three themes: various ways fathers interact with children (spending quality time, emotion-based behaviors, and teaching life lessons); how fathers of varying racial/ethnic groups and socioeconomic status are depicted; and negative messages regarding fathering (foolish or immature behaviors and being the butt of family members’ jokes). Fathers in family-based sitcoms engage in a variety of actions that transmit both positive and negative messages about their place within the family. These messages are consistent with the difficulty associated with fathering in contemporary families, a role whose expectations are often ambiguous.
{"title":"Does father still know best? An inductive thematic analysis of popular TV sitcoms.","authors":"T. Pehlke, C. Hennon, M. Radina, Katherine A. Kuvalanka","doi":"10.3149/FTH.0702.114","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3149/FTH.0702.114","url":null,"abstract":"Domestic situational television comedies were examined for various themes of father involvement. Twelve programs from the six major networks were recorded during the fall 2004 season. All instances that involved either discussion or fulfillment of the father role were transcribed. Inductive thematic analysis led to the identification of three themes: various ways fathers interact with children (spending quality time, emotion-based behaviors, and teaching life lessons); how fathers of varying racial/ethnic groups and socioeconomic status are depicted; and negative messages regarding fathering (foolish or immature behaviors and being the butt of family members’ jokes). Fathers in family-based sitcoms engage in a variety of actions that transmit both positive and negative messages about their place within the family. These messages are consistent with the difficulty associated with fathering in contemporary families, a role whose expectations are often ambiguous.","PeriodicalId":88482,"journal":{"name":"Fathering","volume":"7 1","pages":"114-139"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2009-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.3149/FTH.0702.114","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69843332","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This systematic analysis of 1115 articles in five child development and family journals was conducted to: 1) examine whether academic attention to fathers has increased over time, and 2) describe temporal changes in content areas relevant to fathering and child development. Each article was coded for type of family structure, dimension of fatherhood, and type of child outcome. Percentages of articles per year were the dependent measures and analyses were conducted using regression curve-estimation techniques. Considered together, journals increased their father-relevant publications over time, but there was individual variation by journal. Content analyses showed increased attention to diverse types of fathers and to a wide range of areas of fathering and child outcomes. Both linear and non-linear trend lines fit these data. Results indicate that the “culture of fatherhood” is alive and well in academic journals, although the historical patterns of academic attention to fathers are often complex.
{"title":"Trends in Academic Attention to Fathers, 1930-2006","authors":"W. Goldberg, Edwin T. Tan, Kara L. Thorsen","doi":"10.3149/FTH.0702.159","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3149/FTH.0702.159","url":null,"abstract":"This systematic analysis of 1115 articles in five child development and family journals was conducted to: 1) examine whether academic attention to fathers has increased over time, and 2) describe temporal changes in content areas relevant to fathering and child development. Each article was coded for type of family structure, dimension of fatherhood, and type of child outcome. Percentages of articles per year were the dependent measures and analyses were conducted using regression curve-estimation techniques. Considered together, journals increased their father-relevant publications over time, but there was individual variation by journal. Content analyses showed increased attention to diverse types of fathers and to a wide range of areas of fathering and child outcomes. Both linear and non-linear trend lines fit these data. Results indicate that the “culture of fatherhood” is alive and well in academic journals, although the historical patterns of academic attention to fathers are often complex.","PeriodicalId":88482,"journal":{"name":"Fathering","volume":"1222 1","pages":"159-179"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2009-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.3149/FTH.0702.159","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69843467","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Since the 1970s, there has been an increased scholarly interest in fatherhood. There have been fundamental shifts in family life, gender relations, declining wage of male earners, increases in female labor force participation and in men’s involvement as the primary non-maternal care provider. These cultural shifts have been mirrored in popular culture (films, television, music, and literature). This essay examines the culture of fatherhood as portrayed in four types of influential media: television, children’s literature, scholarly journals, and film. Each of the authors uses a unique approach to exploring the culture of fatherhood in each medium.
{"title":"Fathers and the Media: Introduction to the Special Issue","authors":"J. Kelly","doi":"10.3149/FTH.0702.107","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3149/FTH.0702.107","url":null,"abstract":"Since the 1970s, there has been an increased scholarly interest in fatherhood. There have been fundamental shifts in family life, gender relations, declining wage of male earners, increases in female labor force participation and in men’s involvement as the primary non-maternal care provider. These cultural shifts have been mirrored in popular culture (films, television, music, and literature). This essay examines the culture of fatherhood as portrayed in four types of influential media: television, children’s literature, scholarly journals, and film. Each of the authors uses a unique approach to exploring the culture of fatherhood in each medium.","PeriodicalId":88482,"journal":{"name":"Fathering","volume":"7 1","pages":"107-113"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2009-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.3149/FTH.0702.107","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69843316","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This research examines the presence and depictions of fathers in best-selling picture books in the U.S. using a hybrid semiotic approach. In 200 best-selling picture books for children, among those featuring only a father or only a mother, fathers are featured as prominent as a parent in fewer books (n = 4) than mothers (n = 10). The semiotic analysis of the images and text in two selected picture books reveals connotations related to the roles of fathers as masculine, protective, nurturing, and playful, and the conceptualization of children as naive, vulnerable, and playful. Further illuminations from the texts are of indexical signs and second-order symbols related to the father’s association with night and in particular the moon.
{"title":"The Depictions of Fathers and Children in Best-Selling Picture Books in the United States: A Hybrid Semiotic Analysis","authors":"S. Quinn","doi":"10.3149/FTH.0702.140","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3149/FTH.0702.140","url":null,"abstract":"This research examines the presence and depictions of fathers in best-selling picture books in the U.S. using a hybrid semiotic approach. In 200 best-selling picture books for children, among those featuring only a father or only a mother, fathers are featured as prominent as a parent in fewer books (n = 4) than mothers (n = 10). The semiotic analysis of the images and text in two selected picture books reveals connotations related to the roles of fathers as masculine, protective, nurturing, and playful, and the conceptualization of children as naive, vulnerable, and playful. Further illuminations from the texts are of indexical signs and second-order symbols related to the father’s association with night and in particular the moon.","PeriodicalId":88482,"journal":{"name":"Fathering","volume":"7 1","pages":"140-158"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2009-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.3149/FTH.0702.140","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69843402","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This essay reads the narrative dynamics between the “good” and “bad” father personas in Oliver Stone’s Wall Street as arguments seeking to persuade audiences about the morality of the father/son relationship. Specifically, the film develops an argumentative logic advancing one patriarchal ideology above, and at the expense of, others. An analysis of the film on the theme of fathers and sons reveals how contemporary ideas about what it means to be a “good” father are made culturally sensible and desirable.
{"title":"Good and Bad Fathers as Moral Rhetoric in Wall Street","authors":"J. W. Jordan","doi":"10.3149/FTH.0702.180","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3149/FTH.0702.180","url":null,"abstract":"This essay reads the narrative dynamics between the “good” and “bad” father personas in Oliver Stone’s Wall Street as arguments seeking to persuade audiences about the morality of the father/son relationship. Specifically, the film develops an argumentative logic advancing one patriarchal ideology above, and at the expense of, others. An analysis of the film on the theme of fathers and sons reveals how contemporary ideas about what it means to be a “good” father are made culturally sensible and desirable.","PeriodicalId":88482,"journal":{"name":"Fathering","volume":"7 1","pages":"180-195"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2009-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.3149/FTH.0702.180","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69843480","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Researchers and family theorists have emphasized the transition to fatherhood as a critical juncture in men’s development and in their contribution to family well-being through father involvement and physical support. A growing body of theoretical and empirical literature establishes that variability in men’s transitions to fatherhood predicts different trajectories and outcomes regarding father involvement and family well-being. However, little or no discussion focuses on men’s transitions within fatherhood, which we assert to be more important in affecting father, child and family outcomes than characteristics of the initial transition to fatherhood. This paper synthesizes existing theories of fathering and family transitions and expands them to focus on transitions within fathering. By combining existing theories and research findings, we hope to construct a new lens for viewing factors influencing patterns of father involvement across a man’s fathering career. Bringing focus to important transitions within fathering has the potential to generate refined empirical work with the capability for informing parent and family education and support practices.
{"title":"Transitions within Fathering","authors":"R. Palkovitz, G. Palm","doi":"10.3149/FTH.0701.03","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3149/FTH.0701.03","url":null,"abstract":"Researchers and family theorists have emphasized the transition to fatherhood as a critical juncture in men’s development and in their contribution to family well-being through father involvement and physical support. A growing body of theoretical and empirical literature establishes that variability in men’s transitions to fatherhood predicts different trajectories and outcomes regarding father involvement and family well-being. However, little or no discussion focuses on men’s transitions within fatherhood, which we assert to be more important in affecting father, child and family outcomes than characteristics of the initial transition to fatherhood. This paper synthesizes existing theories of fathering and family transitions and expands them to focus on transitions within fathering. By combining existing theories and research findings, we hope to construct a new lens for viewing factors influencing patterns of father involvement across a man’s fathering career. Bringing focus to important transitions within fathering has the potential to generate refined empirical work with the capability for informing parent and family education and support practices.","PeriodicalId":88482,"journal":{"name":"Fathering","volume":"7 1","pages":"3-22"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2009-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69843241","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Karissa Greving Mehall, Tracy L Spinrad, Nancy Eisenberg, Bridget M Gaertner
The relations of infant temperament and parents' marital satisfaction to mother and father involvement in early (T1, approximately 7 months, n = 142) and later (T2, approximately 14 months, n = 95) infancy were examined. At each assessment point, mothers and fathers completed daily diaries together to measure their involvement over four days (i.e., 2 weekdays and 2 weekend days), each partner reported on marital satisfaction, and mothers reported on infants' temperament. Structural equation models indicated that when infants were more temperamentally regulated, parents were more satisfied in their marital relationships. Parents' marital satisfaction mediated the association between more regulated infant temperament and greater mother involvement at T1 (but not at T2) and father involvement at T2 (but not at T1). The findings are discussed in terms of the implications of infant temperament and family relationships for parental involvement.
{"title":"Examining the Relations of Infant Temperament and Couples' Marital Satisfaction to Mother and Father Involvement: A Longitudinal Study.","authors":"Karissa Greving Mehall, Tracy L Spinrad, Nancy Eisenberg, Bridget M Gaertner","doi":"10.3149/fth.0701.23","DOIUrl":"10.3149/fth.0701.23","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The relations of infant temperament and parents' marital satisfaction to mother and father involvement in early (T1, approximately 7 months, n = 142) and later (T2, approximately 14 months, n = 95) infancy were examined. At each assessment point, mothers and fathers completed daily diaries together to measure their involvement over four days (i.e., 2 weekdays and 2 weekend days), each partner reported on marital satisfaction, and mothers reported on infants' temperament. Structural equation models indicated that when infants were more temperamentally regulated, parents were more satisfied in their marital relationships. Parents' marital satisfaction mediated the association between more regulated infant temperament and greater mother involvement at T1 (but not at T2) and father involvement at T2 (but not at T1). The findings are discussed in terms of the implications of infant temperament and family relationships for parental involvement.</p>","PeriodicalId":88482,"journal":{"name":"Fathering","volume":"7 1","pages":"23-48"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2009-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2835163/pdf/nihms148721.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"28768849","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Using an interpretive life course perspective, we explore how men define their role as fathers based on experiences with their own fathers in the past. Based on qualitative interview data collected from thirty-six low-income fathers, we consider men’s relationships with their own fathers in terms of residence and affective evaluations. Our investigation reveals how men negotiate the demands of fatherhood in light of economic constraints and the absence of marriage, focusing on fathering role models and men’s perceptions of fathering roles. Overall, men not close to their fathers defined fathering primarily in terms of the breadwinner role as opposed to the nurturing role, which was more apparent in the narratives of men close to their fathers.
{"title":"\"Just be There for Them\": Perceptions of Fathering Among Single, Low-Income Men","authors":"R. Forste, J. Bartkowski, R. Jackson","doi":"10.3149/FTH.0701.49","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3149/FTH.0701.49","url":null,"abstract":"Using an interpretive life course perspective, we explore how men define their role as fathers based on experiences with their own fathers in the past. Based on qualitative interview data collected from thirty-six low-income fathers, we consider men’s relationships with their own fathers in terms of residence and affective evaluations. Our investigation reveals how men negotiate the demands of fatherhood in light of economic constraints and the absence of marriage, focusing on fathering role models and men’s perceptions of fathering roles. Overall, men not close to their fathers defined fathering primarily in terms of the breadwinner role as opposed to the nurturing role, which was more apparent in the narratives of men close to their fathers.","PeriodicalId":88482,"journal":{"name":"Fathering","volume":"7 1","pages":"49-69"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2009-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.3149/FTH.0701.49","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69843308","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}