This ethnographic study uses the narratives of African American, single, full-time fathers to explore the motivations precipitating their choice to parent. While the fathers had in common a number of demographic characteristics, such as full employment, residence, and support systems, which factored into their timing of and ability to take full custody, none of these are salient in their own narratives expressing why they wanted to be full-time fathers. Instead, their main motives centered on fulfilling a sense of duty and responsibility, reworking the effects of having had weak or absent fathers themselves, wanting to provide a role model for their children, and fulfilling an already established parent-child bond.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Ahmeduzzaman, M.
, and J. Roopnarine. 1992. Sociodemographic factors, functioning style, social support, and fathers' involvement with preschoolers in African-American families. Journal of Marriage and the Family54:699-707.
2.
Allen, W.1981. Mom, dads, and boys: Race and sex differences in the socialization of male children. In Black men, edited by L. Gary, 99-114. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
3.
Anonymous
. 1994. More single black men adopting black children. Jet, October 31, 22.
4.
Barker, R. W.1994. Lone fathers and masculinities. Aldershot, UK: Avebury.
5.
Barnes, A. S.1987. Single parents in black America: A study in culture and legitimacy. Bristol, IN: Wyndham Hall.
6.
Bartz, K. W.
, and W. C. Witcher. 1978. When father gets custody. Children Today7 (5): 2-6, 35.
7.
Baruch, G.
, and R. Barnett. 1986. Fathers' participation in family work and children's sex-role attitudes. Child Development57: 1210-1223.
8.
Bowman, P.1993. The impact of economic marginality on African-American husbands and fathers. In Family ethnicity, edited by H. McAdoo, 120-137. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
9.
Bright, J. A.
, and C. Williams. 1996. Child-rearing and education in urban environments: Black fathers' perspectives. Urban Education31 (3): 245-260.
10.
Chang, P.
, and A. S. Deinard. 1982. Single-father caretakers: Demographic characteristics and adjustment processes. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry52:236-242.
11.
Christmon, K.1990. Parental responsibility of African-American unwed adolescent fathers. Adolescence25:645-653.
12.
Cochran, D. L.1997. African American fathers: A decade review of the literature. Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Human Services78 (4): 340-350.
13.
Danziger, S.
, and N. Radin. 1990. Absent does not equal uninvolved: Predictors of fathering in teen mother families. Journal of Marriage and the Family52 (3): 636-642.
14.
Davis, L. E.1999. Working with African American males: A guide to practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
15.
DeFrain, J.
, and R. Eirick. 1981. Coping as divorced parents: A comparative study of fathers and mothers. Family Relations30 (2): 265-274.
16.
Diverse living arrangements of children
. 1993. Statistical Bulletin74 (3): 2-9.
17.
Dowd, N. E.1997. In defense of single-parent families. New York: New York University Press.
18.
Downey, D. B.1994. The school performance of children from single-mother and single-father families: Economic or interpersonal deprivation?Journal of Family Issues15 (1): 129-147.
19.
Eggebeen, D. J.
, A. R. Snyder, and W. D. Manning. 1996. Children in single-father families in demographic perspective. Journal of Family Issues17:441-465.
20.
Erickson, E. H.1963. Childhood and society. 2d ed.New York: Norton.
21.
Erickson, E. H.1964. Insight and responsibility. New York: Norton.
22.
Erickson, E. H.1974. Dimensions of a new identity. New York: Norton.
23.
Fagan, J.1998. Correlates of low-income African American and Puerto Rican fathers' involvement with their children. Journal of Black Psychology24 (3): 351-368.
24.
Furstenberg, F. F., Jr.
, and K. Harris. 1993. When and why fathers matter: Impacts of father involvement on the children of adolescent mothers. In Young unwed fathers: Changing roles and emerging policies, edited by R. Lerman and T. Ooms, 117-138. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
25.
Furstenberg, F. F., Jr.
, S. P. Morgan, and P. D. Allison. 1987. Paternal participation and children's well-being after marital dissolution. American Sociological Review52:695-701.
26.
Furstenberg, F. F., Jr.
, C. W. Nord, J. L. Peterson, and N. Zill. 1983. The life course of children of divorce: Marital disruption and parental contact. American Sociological Review48:656-668.
27.
Gadsden, V. L.
, and R. R. Smith. 1995. African American males and fatherhood: Issues in research and practice. Journal of Negro Education63 (4): 634-648.
28.
Gasser, R. D.
, and C. M. Taylor. 1976. Role adjustment of single fathers with dependent children. Family Coordinator25 (4): 397-401.
29.
George, V.
, and P. Wilding. 1972. Motherless families. London: Routledge Kegan Paul.
30.
Gersick, K. E.1979. Fathers by choice: Divorced men who receive custody of their children. In Divorce and separation: Context, causes, and consequences, edited by G. Levinger and O. Moles, 307-323. New York: Basic Books.
31.
Glaser, B. G.
, and A. L. Strauss. 1967. The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. New York: Aldine.
32.
Greif, G. L.1982. Dads raising kids. Single Parent25 (9): 17-25.
33.
Greif, G. L.1985. Children and housework in the single father family. Family Relations34 (3): 353-357.
34.
Greif, G. L.1990. The daddy track and the single father. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books.
35.
Greif, G. L.
, and A. DeMaris. 1989. Single custodial fathers in contested custody suits. Journal of Psychiatry and Law17:223-238.
36.
Hanson, S.M.H.1981. Single custodial fathers and the parent-child relationship. Nursing Research30:202-204.
37.
Hanson, S.M.H.1985. Single fathers with custody: A synthesis of the literature. In The one-parent family in the 1980s: Perspectives and bibliography 1978-1984, edited by B. Schlesinger, 57-96. Toronto, Canada: University of Toronto Press.
38.
Hanson, S.M.H.1986. Parent-child relationships in single-father families. In Men in families, edited by R. A. Lewis and R. E. Salts, 181-195. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
39.
Hanson, S.M.H.1988. Divorced fathers with custody. In Fatherhood today: Men's changing role in the family, edited by Phyllis Bronstein and Carolyn Pape Cowan, 166-194. New York: John Wiley.
40.
Hawkins, A. J.
, S. L. Christiansen, K. P. Sargent, and E. J. Hill. 1993. Rethinking fathers' involvement in child care. Journal of Family Issues14:531-549.
41.
Hawkins, A. J.
, and D. J. Eggebeen. 1991. Are fathers fungible? Patterns of co-resident adult men in maritally disrupted families and young children's well-being. Journal of Marriage and the Family53:958-972.
42.
Hipgrave, T.1982. Lone fatherhood: A problematic status. In The father figure, edited by L. McKee and M. O'Brien, 171-183. London: Tavistock.
43.
Ihinger-Tallman, M.
, K. Pasley, and C. Buehler. 1995. Developing a middle-range theory of father involvement post divorce. In fatherhood: Contemporary theory, research and social policy, edited by William Marsiglio, 55-77. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
44.
Johnson, C.
, and A. Sum. 1987. Declining earnings of young men: Their relation to poverty, teen pregnancy, and family formation. Adolescent Prevention Clearing-house report. Washington, DC: Children's Defense Fund.
45.
Katz, A. J.1979. Lone fathers: Perspectives and implications for family policy. Family Coordinator28 (4): 521-527.
46.
Keshet, H. F.
, and K. N. Rosenthal. 1976. Single-parent families: A new study. Children Today7 (3): 13-17.
47.
Kotre, J.1984. Outliving the self: Generativity and the interpretation of lives. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
48.
Lerman, R. I.1993. Employment patterns of unwed fathers and public policy. In Young unwed fathers: Changing roles and emerging policies, edited by R. I. Lerman and T. J. Ooms, 316-334. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
49.
Lerman, R. I.
, and T. J. Ooms. 1993. Young unwed fathers: Changing roles and emerging policies. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
50.
Madhubuti, H.1990. Black men: Obsolete, single, dangerous?Chicago: Third World Press.
51.
Marsiglio, W.1987. Adolescent fathers in the United States: Their initial living arrangements, marital experience and educational outcomes. Family Planning Perspectives19 (6): 240-251.
52.
Marsiglio, W.1991a. Male procreative consciousness and responsibility: A conceptual analysis and research agenda. Journal of Family Issues12:268-290.
53.
Marsiglio, W.1991b. Paternal engagement activities with minor children. Journal of Marriage and the Family53:973-986.
54.
McAdoo, J.1981. Involvement of fathers in the socialization of black children. In Black families, edited by H. P. McAdoo, 225-337. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
55.
McAdoo, J.1988a. Changing perspectives on the role of the black father. In Fatherhood today: Men's changing role in the family, edited by P. Bronstein and C. Cowan, 79-92. New York: John Wiley.
56.
McAdoo, J.1988b. The roles of black fathers in the socialization of black children. In Black families, edited by H. P. McAdoo, 257-269. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
57.
McAdoo, J. L.1993. The roles of African American fathers: An ecological perspective. Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Human Services74 (1): 28-35.
58.
McAdoo, J. L.
, and J. B. McAdoo. 1994. The African-American father's role within the family. In The American black male: His present status and his future, edited by R. Majors and J. Gordon, 286-297. Chicago: Nelson-Hall.
59.
Mendex, H. A.1976. Single fathers. Family Coordinator25 (4): 439-444.
60.
Miller, D.1994. Influences on parental involvement of African American adolescent fathers. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal11 (5): 363-379.
61.
Mirande, A.1991. Ethnicity and fatherhood. In Fatherhood and families in cultural context, edited by Frederick W. Bozett and Shirley M. H. Hanson, 53-82. New York: Springer.
62.
Morgan, S. P.
, D. N. Lye, and G. A. Condran. 1988. Sons, daughters, and the risk of marital disruption. American Journal of Sociology94:110-129.
63.
Mott, F. L.1990. When is a father really gone? Paternal-child conduct in father-absent homes. Demography27 (4): 499-517.
64.
Orthner, D.
, T. Brown, and D. Ferguson. 1976. Single-parent fatherhood: An emerging family life style. Family Coordinator25 (4): 429-437.
65.
Pirog-Good, M. A.1993. In-kind contributions as child support: The teen alternative parenting program. In Young unwed fathers: Changing roles and emerging policies, edited by R. Lerman and T. Ooms, 251-266. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
66.
Polkinghorne, D. E.1988. Narrative knowing and the human sciences. Albany: State University of New York Press.
67.
Risman, B. J.1986. Can men “mother”? Life as a single father. Family Relations35 (1): 95-102.
68.
Rivara, F.
, P. Sweeney, and B. Henderson. 1986. Black teenage fathers: What happens when the child is born?Pediatrics78: 151-158.
69.
Robinson, B. E.1988. Teenage fathers. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books.
70.
Robinson, B. E.
, and R. L. Barrett. 1986. The developing father: Emerging roles in contemporary society. New York: Guilford.
71.
Rosenthal, K. M.
, and H. F. Keshet. 1981. Fathers without partners: A study of fathers and the family after marital separation. Totowa, NJ: Rowman and Littlefield.
72.
Rutherford, J.1988. Who's that man? In Male order: Unwrapping masculinity, edited by R. Chapman and J. Rutherford, 21-67. London: Lawrence & Wishart.
73.
Santrock, J. W.
, and R. A. Warshak. 1979. Father custody and social development in boys and girls. Journal of Social Issues35 (4): 112-125.
74.
Savage, B. D.1987. Child support and teen parents. Washington, DC: Adolescent Prevention Clearinghouse, Children's Defense Fund.
75.
Seltzer, J.1991. Relationships between fathers and children who live apart: The father's role after separation. Journal of Marriage and the Family53 (February): 79-101.
76.
Seltzer, J. A.
, and Y. Brandreth. 1995. What fathers say about involvement with children after separation. In Fatherhood: Contemporary theory, research and social policy, edited by William Marsiglio, 166-192. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
77.
Smith, R. M.
, and C. W. Smith. 1981. Child rearing and single-parent fathers. Family Relations30 (3): 411-417.
78.
Snarey, J.1993. How fathers care for the next generation: A four-decade study. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
79.
Staples, R.1986. The political economy of black family life. Black Scholar17 (5): 2-11.
80.
Taylor, R.
, L. Chatters, M. B. Tucker, and E. Lewis. 1990. Developments in research on black families: A decade review. Journal of Marriage and the Family52 (November): 993-1014.
81.
Taylor, R. J.
, B. R. Leashore, and S. Toliver. 1988. An assessment of the provider role as perceived by black males. Family Relations37 (4): 426-431.
82.
Tedder, S. L.
, K. M. Libbee, and A. Scherman. 1981. A community support group for single custodial fathers. Personnel and Guidance Journal60:115-119.
83.
Wade, J.1994. African American fathers and sons: Social, historical and psychological considerations. Families in Society75 (9): 561-570.
84.
Wattenberg, E.1993. Paternity actions and young fathers. In Young unwed fathers: Changing roles and emerging policies, edited by R. Lerman and T. Ooms, 213-234. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
85.
Wilson, W. J.1987. The truly disadvantaged. Chicago: Chicago University Press.
86.
Zill, N.1988. Behavior, achievement and health problems among children in stepfamilies: Findings from a national survey of child health. In Impact of divorce, single parenting, and stepparenting on children, edited by E. M. Hetherington and J. D. Arasteh, 325-368. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
