Earning the Role: Father Role Institutionalization and the Achievement of Contemporary Fatherhood
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View abstract on PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.Stepfathers often achieve fatherhood status more readily than biological fathers in complex families. Adolescent children
Area Of Science
- Family Studies
- Sociology
- Developmental Psychology
Background
- Fatherhood is increasingly an achieved status, particularly in disadvantaged and complex family structures.
- Institutionalization theory suggests the biological father role, being more established, should offer advantages to nonresident fathers.
- Existing research often overlooks the child's perspective in defining fatherhood roles within families.
Purpose Of The Study
- To explore how adolescents perceive and grant the father role to men in their lives, focusing on stepfathers and nonresident biological fathers.
- To investigate the influence of institutionalized role expectations on father-child relationships from the adolescent's viewpoint.
- To re-center youth agency in family theory by examining how fatherhood is earned and achieved within complex family dynamics.
Main Methods
- Conducted 55 in-depth interviews with adolescents and their primary caregivers.
- Analyzed qualitative data to understand the perspectives of children regarding father figures.
- Focused on the negotiation and achievement of the father role in diverse family settings.
Main Results
- Strongly institutionalized expectations for biological fathers often hindered nonresident father-child engagement, leading to adolescent resistance when unmet.
- The less institutionalized stepparent role allowed stepfathers flexibility, enabling them to meet or exceed adolescent expectations more easily.
- Stepfathers reported greater ease and satisfaction in fulfilling the father role compared to nonresident biological fathers due to lower cultural bars.
Conclusions
- The perceived success of fatherhood is influenced by the degree of role institutionalization and the ability to meet children's expectations.
- Adolescent agency plays a crucial role in conferring fatherhood status, often favoring stepfathers in complex family environments.
- Rethinking fatherhood roles requires considering the child's perspective and the practical dynamics of family relationships over formal status.
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