Fatherhood A Summary

							Fatherhood: A Summary


      Rosalie Bakken
  CED Adolescent Specialist

  UNL-Dept. of Family and
    Consumer Sciences

  Email: rbakken@unl.edu
    Fatherhood: A “trend”?
•     Fathers largely ignored for decades
•     Demographic trends inspire a new
      focus on fatherhood
     –   Divorce
     –   Dual career families
     –   Father absence
     –   Nebraska: similar trends
•     Deluge of research
•     Evolving nature of research
•     Federal encouragement of
      fatherhood research
What does the research show?
• Healthy father involvement
  associated with positive
  outcomes
  – Cognitive development
  – Academic success
  – Social and emotional
    development
  – Healthy choices and behaviors
  – Studies at a variety of stages
    across the lifespan
• Father absence associated with
  risk
  – Even after adjusting for other
    factors
A sampling of other key research
            findings:
• ↓ involvement of nonmarital &
  divorced fathers
• ↑ involvement in 2-parent hh’s
• Quality over quantity
• Involvement goes far beyond
  financial support
• Delayed age of fatherhood
  – Esp. highly educated
• Nonresidential and teen fathers
  face barriers to continued
  involvement with children
• Father’s role depends on mother
       Areas of Burgeoning
            Research
• Fatherhood among diverse racial and
  ethnic groups
• Fatherhood among special
  populations (teens, incarcerated
  fathers, etc.)
• Roles of nonbiological father-figures
   –   Stepfathers
   –   Grandfathers
   –   Legal fathers
   –   Foster fathers, etc.
• The meaning of becoming a father
   – Its effect on men’s personal
     development
• How fathers’ roles affect mothers
• Fatherhood within the context of gay
  and lesbian parenthood
Questions to be answered…
• How do characteristics of the child
  affect father involvement?
• Under what circumstances is father
  involvement unhealthy?
   – Abusive situations
   – Parental conflict
• What specific dimensions of father
  involvement are most important?
• Are there certain times in the
  development of a child when father
  involvement is most salient?
• How does the father-child
  relationship evolve over time?
• How are fatherhood roles
  transmitted across generations?
        Policy Issues:
   The Fatherhood Initiative
• Social policy has begun to reflect
  research findings
   – National level, Began by President
     Clinton, 1995
   – Programs and policies put into place to
     encourage further study and
     programming related to fatherhood
   – National level
      • Head Start, Early Head Start
   – State level initiatives
      • Nebraska Fatherhood Initiative,
        HHSS
      • “Our” Fatherhood Team
      • Others
   – Local level initiatives
      • Many, Clearinghouse needed
Policy and Programming Issues
         to be Addressed:
• Validating father involvement for all
  fathers in homes, schools, medical
  systems, child-care facilities, justice
  system, etc.
• Education, policy, programs
• How do we do this for diverse
  groups?
• Nonresidential fathers: child support,
  custody, barriers to involvement
• Rights and responsibilities of teen
  fathers
• Influence of “fatherhood movement”
  on motherhood
• Creating father-friendly workplaces
Nebraska Fatherhood Team
• Convened in July 2001
  –   CED involvement
  –   Department and College
  –   Other faculty, UNL & UNO
  –   Others in the Community
• Long term goals
  – Create a Nebraska clearinghouse
  – Create supportive environment
  – Examine laws, procedures,
    barriers to father involvement
  – Bring lens to systems in NE
  – Ecological perspective
• Short term goal:
   – Working conference to bring together
     key people and organizations to focus
     on needs related to fatherhood in
     Nebraska
      • Explore needs, funding
        opportunities
      • Stimulate communication, research ,
        education, and programming
        activities
      • Sept or Oct 2002
      • Omaha, 50-60 participants
      • National speakers
      • Create issue-based action plans
          – Research
          – Policy
          – Program application
      • Role for Extension will develop out
        of this conference
      • Mean time….