Abstract
Using the accounts of family life in young women's life stories, this qualitative study examined experiences with biological fathers for a sample of inner-city African-American teen mothers and a comparable sample of young women who were not parents. Distinguishing findings emerged about the pattern of young women's residential history with fathers, activity and interactions with fathers, and feelings about fathers. These qualitative findings were discussed in terms of their implications for services, policy, and research.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Allen, W. R. (1981). Moms, dads, and boys: Race and sex differences in the socialization of male children. In L. E. Gary (Ed.), Black men (pp. 99–114). Beverly Hills: Sage Publications.
Bowman, T. (1993). The father-son project.Families in Society, 74, 22–27.
Boyd, S. T. (1985). Study of the father.American Behavioral Scientist, 29, 112–128.
Cazenave, N. A. (1979). Middle-income black fathers: An analysis of the provider role.The Family Coordinator, 28, 583–593.
Child Trends, Inc. (1994, March).Facts at a glance. Washington, D.C.
Danziger, S.K. (1995, forthcoming). Family life and teenage pregnancy in the innercity: Experiences of African-American youth.Children and Youth Services Review,17 (1–2).
Danziger, S. K., & Danziger, S. (1993). Child poverty and public policy: Toward a comprehensive antipoverty agenda.Daedalus, 122, 57–84.
Danziger, S. K., & Farber, N. B. (1990). Keeping inner-city youths in school: Critical experiences of young black women.Social Work Research & Abstracts, 26, 32–39.
de Anda, D., & Becerra, R. M. (1984). Support networks for adolescent mothers.Social Casework, 65, 172–181.
Greif, G. L., & Bailey, C. (1990). Where are the fathers in social work literature?Families in Society, 71, 88–92.
Hunter, A. G., & Ensminger, M. E. (1992). Diversity and fluidity in children's living arrangements: Family transitions in an urban Afro-American community.Journal of Marriage and the Family, 54, 418–426.
Ishii-Kuntz, M. (1994). Paternal involvement and perception toward fathers' roles: a comparison between Japan and the United States.Journal of Family Issues, 15, 30–48.
Jarrett, R. L. (1994). Living poor: Family life among single parent, African-American women.Social Problems, 41, 30–49.
Klerman, L. (1991). Alive and well? A research and policy review of health programs for poor young children. New York: National Center for Children in Poverty.
King, V. (1994). Nonresident father involvement and child-well being: Can dads make a difference?Journal of Family Issues, 15, 78–96.
Landy, S., Schubert, J., Cleland, J. F., Clark, C., & Montgomery, J. S. (1983). Teenage pregnancy: Family syndrome?Adolescence, 18, 679–694.
Levine, J. A. (1993). Involving fathers in Head Start: A framework for public policy and program development.Families in Society, 74, 4–21.
McAdoo, J. L. (1981). Black fathers and child interaction. In L. E. Gary (Ed.),Black men (pp. 115–130), Beverly Hills: Sage Publications.
McAdoo, J. L. (1993). The roles of African-American fathers: An ecological perspective.Families in Society, 74, 28–35.
Miller, B. C., & Moore, K. A. (1990). Adolescent sexual behavior, pregnancy and parenting: Research through the 1980s.Journal of Marriage and the Family, 52, 1025–1044.
Moore, K. A., Meyers, D. E., Morrison, D. R., Nord, C. W., Brown, B., & Edmonston, B. (1993). Age at first childbirth and later poverty.Journal of Research on Adolescence, 3, 393–422.
Moss, N. E. (1987). Effects of father-daughter contact on use of pregnancy services by Mexican, Mexican-American, and Anglo adolescents.Journal of Adolescent Health Care, 8, 419–425.
Nash, J. (1965). The father in contemporary culture and current psychological literature.Child Development, 36, 261–297.
Pruett, K. D. (1993). The paternal presence.Families in Society, 74, 46–50.
Rice, F. P. (1992).The adolescent: Development, relationships, and culture, Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Rosenblatt, P. C., & Fischer, L. R. (1993). Qualitative family research. In P. G. Boss, W. J. Doherty, R. LaRossa, W. R. Schumm, & S. K. Steinmetz (Eds.),Sourcebook of family methods: A contextual approach (pp. 167–177) New York: Plenum Press.
Stack, C. B. (1982).All our kin, New York: Harper & Row, Publishers.
Strauss, A. (1987).Qualitative analysis for social scientists, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Upchurch, D. M. (1993). Early schooling and childbearing experiences: Implications for post secondary school attendance.Journal of Research on Adolescence, 3, 423–443.
Williams, C. W. (1991).Black teenage mothers: Pregnancy and child rearing from their perspective. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
We thank Julia Henly, Linwood Cousins, and Jen Rubin for assistance with data analysis; Carolyn Young and Oti-Lisa Brown for assistance with literature searches; Arlene Stiffman and Brett Drake for comments on an earlier draft of this manuscript. Generous support for this study was provided by the Ford Foundation, Spencer Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation and the University of Michigan Rackham Graduate School.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Chadiha, L.A., Danziger, S.K. The significance of fathers for inner-city African-American teen mothers. Child Adolesc Soc Work J 12, 83–100 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01876206
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01876206