Evolving Roles: Unpacking the Complexities of Fatherhood

792 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: What is the role of a father

When growing up, most children develop a special bond with the mother. In most families, even though there is still a father or father figure around to also care for the baby, he or she still grows up more attached to the mother. Up to this day, the mother has always been the one who makes most decisions regarding her children, in a court of law, jury’s and judges tend to side with the mom in custody battles. So where does this leave the father? Over the years it has been said that fatherhood has quickly evolved in terms of relationships with their children. Compared to primates, fathers in both monogamous and polygamous relationships tend to have limited parental involvement in childcare mainly due to how society shapes certain points of views and opinions.
For many years, and in many cultures the mother has always been viewed as the most important parental figure in a household. The mother is the one who cares, feeds, teaches, and helps her children through life. Also in many cultures the father is basically assigned the job to simply provide for his family. So there we have the traditional family …show more content…

Even though society as a whole and parenting has evolved, statistics still show the absence of a father or male figure in the household as something that is very common in many families and is concerning. According to a TIME online article, “in the U.S., more than half of divorced fathers lose contact with their kids within a few years. By the end of 10 years, as many as two-thirds of them have drifted out of their children's lives.” (Hrdy & Batten, 2007) Another statistic from the same source states the following; “Even fathers in intact families spend a lot less time focused on their kids than they think: in the U.S. fathers average less than an hour a day (up from 20 minutes a few decades ago), usually squeezed in after the workday.” (Hrdy & Batten,

Show More
Related

  • Dilemmas Of Involved Fatherhood Summary

    173 Words  | 1 Pages

    The concepts that Kathleen Genson discusses reinforces the analysis Kramer presented in Chapter 4 “The Family and Intimate Relationships” of The Sociology of Gender. First and foremost, both authors would agree that family is a structure that institutionalizes and maintains gender norms. Both authors would also agree that “families tend to be organized around factors that the individual members cannot control.” In Genson’s chapter “Dilemmas of Involved Fatherhood,” the most prominent forces are the economy and social expectations, both listed and explained by Kramer. Genson’s explanation of how it is unfeasible for men to withdraw from the workforce and focus more time and energy on being involved fathers is an example of the economic factors.

    Read More

  • Effects of Absent Fathers on Adolescents

    1894 Words  | 4 Pages

    The role of the father, a male figure in a child’s life is a very crucial role that has been diminishing over the years. An absent father can be defined in two ways; the father is physically not present, or the father is physically present, but emotionally present. To an adolescent, a father is an idolized figure, someone they look up to (Feud, 1921), thus when such a figure is an absent one, it can and will negatively affect a child’s development. Many of the problems we face in society today, such as crime and delinquency, poor academic achievement, divorce, drug use, early pregnancy and sexual activity can be attributed to fathers being absent during adolescent development (Popenoe, 1996; Whitehead, 1993). The percentage of adolescents growing up fatherless has risen from 17% to 36% in just three decades between 1960 and 1990 (Popenoe, 1996). Dr. Popenoe estimates this number will increase to approximately 50% by the turn of the century (Popenoe, 1996). The US Census Bureau reported out of population of 24 million children, 1 out 3 live in a home without a father (US Census Bureau, 2009).

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Dumbing Down Of Dads In Modern Society

    1456 Words  | 3 Pages

    The focus of my discussion in this paper is the “dumbing-down” of dads in our modern society. In researching this topic, I came across the following comic strip that illustrates quite clearly how dads are often depicted/ portrayed to children, especially in the media. In the image copied below, we can see how the representation of the dad has changed over the years. The children comment that they are watching an old show where the father was actually an intelligible being and there ensues the laughter on the part of the mother and the children. I feel this is a theme that has come about as comic relief, but also as a way of demeaning men as partners and parents. As a mother, I know I am guilty of this, and as a society I think we propagate this concept way too easily.

    Read More

  • Annotated Bibliography: Annotated Bibliography

    994 Words  | 2 Pages

    "Father absence and the welfare of children." Coping with divorce, single parenting, and remarriage: A risk and resiliency perspective (1999): 117-145.

    Read More

  • Film Analysis of Boyz in the Hood

    2158 Words  | 5 Pages

    Fatherless has been one of the most important challenges and epidemics in our generation. The effects of growing up...

    Read More

  • Male Parental Care: The Evolution Of Male Parental Care

    1434 Words  | 3 Pages

    Parental care can be defined as parents’ investment in the offspring post egg laying or birth of the young ones. Hence, it does not count the initial investment involved in gamete production (Ridley, 1978; Wells, 2008). In many animals belonging to diverse taxa, neither male nor female offer parental care in which the offspring are left at the mercy of nature whereas, in others only one parent, either male or female, cares for the offspring. In still others both the parents jointly take the responsibility of caring their progeny (Reynolds et al., 2012). Evolution of this diversity in parental care can be explained with the help of cost/benefit ratio of providing the parental care. Lack (1954) proposed a principle to explain the evolution of parental care and the relative investment by the

    Read More

  • The American Family By Stephanie Coontz Summary

    1511 Words  | 4 Pages

    “Men’s greater involvement at home is good for their relationships with their partner and also good for their children. Hands-on fathers make better parents than men who let their wives do all the nurturing and child care” (Coontz 99). Coontz believed that if men come home after work and share the chores with their wife, then they will have stronger bonds and the marriage will stay longer. Children’s are very observant, therefore they will learn valuable lessons from both of their parents. Carver showed how his father not being involved in the family has affected his relationship with his

    Read More

  • Our Culture Of Fatherlessness By David Blankenhorn: Book Analysis

    933 Words  | 2 Pages

    In David Blankenhorn’s book written in 1995, he brings to light what he calls “America’s fundamental problem”: our culture of fatherlessness. Our modern day view of fathers is that they are unnecessary both in society and in the upbringing of a child. Blankenhorn argues the contrary: the only way to solve the multitude of social problems present in America is to address the common denominator, the decline of fathers and the shrinking importance of fatherhood. Blankenhorn’s book is split into three parts: Part I: Fatherlessness, Part II: The Cultural Script and Part III: Fatherhood. In Fatherlessness, he provides the history of fatherhood and includes statistics that help to illustrate the transition of the father from head of the household to being “almost entirely a Sunday institution” (pg. 15).

    Read More

  • Daddy's Little Girl

    1283 Words  | 3 Pages

    Dr. Haim Ginott, a renowned Psychologist, mentor and a teacher once remarked, “Children are like wet cement; whatever falls on them makes an impression.” Thus, the effects of absent fathers on children may in fact, shape their perception of the world around them. Even though developing a stronger relationship with one parent is an effect of absenteeism fathers, it also comes with the challenges of engaging in early sexual activities, diminished cognitive development and poor school performance, which are effects exhibited by many daughters.

    Read More

  • Child Development Essay

    1785 Words  | 4 Pages

    Since the beginning of time, fathers have had a profound effect on their child’s development. Over the years, the norm for traditional family dynamics of having a father figure in the household has changed drastically, and so did the roles of the parents. It is not as common as it used to be to have a father or father figure in the home. In this day and age, women are more likely to raise children on their own and gain independence without the male assistance due to various reasons. The most significant learning experience and development of a person’s life takes place in their earlier years when they were children. There are many advantages when there is a mother and father combined in a

    Read More

  • How Children of Single Parent Families are Affected

    1209 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Family structure has changed significantly in the last fifty years. With higher percentages of marriage ending in divorce, and higher rates of childbearing out of wedlock, single parent families are increasing rapidly. “Seventy percent of all the children will spend all or part of their lives in a single-parent household.” (Dowd) Studies have shown that the children of these families are affected dramatically, both negatively and positively. Women head the majority of single- parent families and as a result, children experience many social problems from growing up without a father. Some of these problems include lack of financial support, and various emotional problems by not having a father around, which may contribute to problems later in life. At the same time, children of single-parent homes become more independent because they learn to take care of themselves, and rely on others to do things for them.

    Read More

  • The Importance of a Father Figure

    1475 Words  | 3 Pages

    A father is someone who protects, loves, supports and raises his children, whether they are biologically related or not. Every single person living on the Earth has a biological father. These biological fathers are supposed to take the responsibility of being a father because they did help bring a child into this world. One of the main responsibilities of a father is providing the child with the necessities of life, which include food, shelter, and clothes. Not only is a father responsible for the physical aspect but the emotional aspect as well. Children need to feel loved, cared for, and emotional support from their parents. A child needs to be reassured, so a father must show his affection, both physically and emotionally. A father needs to be involved in his children’s life. He needs to be a problem solver, playmate, provider, preparer, and he has to have principles. A father has to pr...

    Read More

  • Sociology Research into Father-Daughter Relationships

    2201 Words  | 5 Pages

    In present time dads share with mothers the same level of emotional response to new-born babies and are just as sensitive and affectionate when looking after their babies (Secunda, 1992). Today more than half of all children are raised by single mothers and twenty eight percent of children are raised in single parent homes. Fathers are now the main care givers for children when mothers are working. In thirty percent of dual earner families, it is now the father more than any other individual, who cares for children when the mother is at work. If it proves true that daughters search for romantic partners like t...

    Read More

  • Parent-Child Relationship

    1378 Words  | 3 Pages

    Mothers are the primary caretakers of the children. The fathers have had minimal care taking responsibilities. Many women, if they had a career before hand, have to give it up to stay at home with the child. Although, many fathers where the wives must work become important in the process of care taking because their role must increase to their children. Studies of human fathers and their infants confirm that many fathers can act sensitively with their infant (according to Parke & Sawin, 1980) and their infants form attachments to both their mothers and fathers at roughly the same age (according to Lamb, 1977).

    Read More

  • Teenage Pregnancy In The United States

    1360 Words  | 3 Pages

    It is not always taken into consideration how the father is feeling and how he is handling the situation mentally. “The future father can often feel alone, as if he doesn’t belong, increasing the risk of him not taking responsibility and staying involved” (Kirven, 2014). That is why it is significant for the teenage father to have support as well and have the same opportunities to become educated along with the teenage mother. “Young mothers receive support from a variety of sources including families, schools, clinics, peers, and partners. Men tend to receive less social support or tangible support in their role as fathers” (Florsheim et al., 2012). Teen fathers are often stereotyped as dead beat dads, and it has been proven that a child prospers efficiently if they have their father in their life. “Tales of absent fathers and the impact of their absences on children are told all too often in therapy” (Sieber, 2008). It is easier for a young future father to succumb to the pressures and stress and deny paternity and responsibility causing extra turmoil on the mother. If the father receives the same support the mother does and is included in the process then he is more likely to stay involved in the child’s life. “It is important that practitioners introduce participatory action steps that connect them with the young fathers. Practitioners should strive to include young

    Read More

More about Evolving Roles: Unpacking the Complexities of Fatherhood

Open Document