Abstract
I interviewed 57 low-income fathers about how they define responsible fatherhood. Unlike findings from previous research, their definition did not include financial provision or daily caregiving. Instead, their definition included six dimensions, some of which resemble a “Big Brother”: spending time in non-caregiving activities; avoiding harm by voluntarily distancing from the child when it is in the child’s best interest; acknowledging paternity in non-legal forums; spending money on gifts, joint activities, and special needs; monitoring the child’s home for trouble; and minimizing absences in the child’s life. Because these fathers do not emphasize traditional breadwinning or primary caregiving, their responsible fathering beliefs and behavior may be unappreciated by academics, practitioners, and policy makers.
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
Phillipino/French Creole, Mexican/Italian, Hispanic/White, Palestinian, Fijian-American, Black/Mexican, and Black/Creole/Indian.
All names are pseudonyms.
References
Akers, R. (2009). Social learning and social structure. Edison, NJ: Transaction Publishers.
Allen, B., Nunley, J., & Seals, A. (2011). The effect of joint-custody-legislation on the child-support receipt of single mothers. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 32, 124–139. doi:10.1007/s10834-010-9193-4.
Amato, P. (2005). The impact of family formation change on the cognitive, social, and emotional well-being of the next generation. Future of Children, 15, 75–96. doi:10.1353/foc.2005.0012.
Bartkowski, J. (2004). The promise keepers: Servants, soldiers, and Godly men. Piscataway, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. (2008). School-based mentoring. Retrieved from http://www.bbbs.org/site/c.diJKKYPLJvH/b.1632621/k.5BFF/Schoolbased_Mentoring.htm.
Brunson, R. K., & Miller, J. (2006). Gender, race, and urban policing: the experience of African American youths. Gender & Society, 20, 531–552. doi:10.1177/0891243206287727.
Carlson, M., & McLanahan, S. (2010). Fathers’ characteristics and capabilities. In M. Lamb (Ed.), The role of the father in child development (5th ed., pp. 241–260). New York: Wiley.
Cherlin, A. (2005). American marriage in the early twenty-first century. The Future of Children, 15(2), 33–55. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3556562.
Coleman-Jensen, A. (2011). Working for peanuts: nonstandard work and food insecurity across household structure. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 32, 84–97. doi:10.1007/s10834-010-9190-7.
Coltrane, S. (1989). Household labor and the routine production of gender. Social Problems, 36, 473–490. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3096813.
Coltrane, S. (2001). Marketing the marriage solution: misplaced simplicity in the politics of fatherhood. Sociological Perspectives, 44(4), 387–402. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/sop.2001.44.4.387.
Cooper, J. (2007). Cognitive dissonance: 50 years of a classic theory. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Day, R., & Lamb, M. (Eds.). (2004). Conceptualizing and measuring father involvement. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Doherty, W. J., Kouneski, E. F., & Erickson, M. F. (1998). Responsible fathering: an overview and conceptual framework. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 60(2), 277–292. doi:10.2307/353848.
Edin, K., & Lein, L. (1997). Making ends meet: How single mothers survive welfare and low-wage work. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
Edin, K., & Reed, J. (2005). Why don’t they just get married? Barriers to marriage among the disadvantaged. The Future of Children, 15(2), 117–137. doi:10.1353/foc.2005.0017.
Gavanas, A. (2004). Fatherhood politics in the United States: Masculinity, sexuality, race, and marriage. Chicago: University of Illinois Press.
Gerson, K. (1985). Hard choices: How women decide about work, career, and motherhood. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
Hamer, J. F. (2001). What it means to be daddy: Fatherhood for black men living away from their children. New York: Columbia University Press.
Hofferth, S., Forry, N., & Peters, H. E. (2010). Child support, father-child contact, and preteens’ involvement with nonresidential fathers: racial/ethnic differences. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 31, 14–32. doi:10.1007/s10834-009-9172-9.
Hofferth, S., & Pinzon, A. (2011). Do nonresidential fathers’ financial support and contact improve children’s health? Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 32, 280–295. doi:10.1007/s10834-010-9237-9.
Lamb, M., Pleck, J. H., Charnov, E., & Levine, J. (1987). A biosocial perspective on paternal behavior and involvement. In J. Lancaster, J. Altman, & A. Rossi (Eds.), Parenting across the lifespan: Biosocial perspectives (pp. 111–142). New York: Academic Press.
Lamb, M., Pleck, J. H., & Levine, J. (1985). The role of the father in child development: The effects of increased paternal involvement. In B. B. Lahey & A. E. Kazdin (Eds.), Advances in clinical child psychology (pp. 229–255). New York: Plenum.
Levine, J., & Pitt, E. (1995). New expectations: Community strategies for responsible fatherhood. New York: Families and Work Institute.
Madhubuti, H. R., & Karenga, M. (Eds.). (1996). Million man march/day of absence: A commemorative anthology, speeches, commentary, photography, poetry, illustrations & documents. Chicago, IL: Third World Press.
Marsiglio, W., Hutchinson, S., & Cohan, M. (2001). Young men’s procreative identity: Becoming aware, being aware, and being responsible. Journal of Marriage and Family, 62, 1173–1191. doi:10.1111/j.1741-3737.2001.00123.x.
Maume, D. (2010). Reconsidering the temporal increase in fathers’ time with children. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 32, 411–423. doi:10.1007/s10834-010-9227-y.
Moynihan, D. P. (1965). The Negro family: The case for national action. Retrieved from http://www.dol.gov/oasam/programs/history/webid-meynihan.htm.
Nelson, T. (2004). Low-income fathers. Annual Review of Sociology, 30, 427–451. doi:10.1146/annurev.soc.29.010202.095947.
Nock, S. (2005). Marriage as a public issue. The Future of Children, 15(2), 13–32. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3556561.
Phillips, C., & Bowling, B. (2003). Racism, ethnicity, and criminology: Developing minority perspectives. British Journal of Criminology, 43, 269–290. doi:10.1093/bjc/43.2.269.
Reichman, N., Teitler, J., Garfinkel, I., & McLanahan, S. (2001). Fragile families: Sample and design. Children and Youth Services Review, 23(45), 303–326. doi:10.1016/S0190-7409(01)00141-4.
Roy, K. (2004). You can’t eat love: Constructing provider role expectations for low-income and working-class fathers. Fathering, 2(3), 253–276. doi:10.3149/fth.0203.253.
Stacey, J. (1998). Brave new families: Stories of domestic upheaval in late-twentieth century America. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
Tamis-LaMonda, C. S., & Cabrera, N. (2002). Handbook of father involvement: Multidisciplinary perspectives. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
Taylor, J. M., Gilligan, C., & Sullivan, A. M. (1995). Between voice and silence: Women and girls, race and relationship. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
U.S. Bureau of the Census. (2007). State and county quick facts. Washington, DC: U.S. Bureau of the Census. Retrieved from http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/00000.html.
Waller, M. & Swisher, R. (2006). Fathers risk factors in fragile families: Implications for healthy relationships and father involvement. Social Forces, 53(3), 392–420. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/sp.2006.53.3.392.
Wilson, W. J. (1987). Truly disadvantaged: The innercity, the underclass, and public policy. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
Wrong, D. H. (1961). The oversocialized conception of man in modern sociology. American Sociological Review, 26(2), 183–193.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Myers, M.J.U. A Big Brother: New Findings on How Low-Income Fathers Define Responsible Fatherhood. J Fam Econ Iss 34, 253–264 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10834-012-9327-y
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10834-012-9327-y