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RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOODTeenage pregnancy and single parenting have traditionally been perceived as women's issues. However, the role of male responsibility in both pregnancy and parenting has recently been gaining attention. A number of factors are contributing to this shift in focus. Most dramatic are the negative outcomes for children in father-absent homes: higher poverty, poorer school performance, lower self-esteem, earlier sexual activity, a greater incidence of teenage pregnancy, more drug abuse, and a higher involvement in crime. The costs to society are high. Welfare, medical and incarceration expenses increase; tax revenues and human potential are lost. In addition, time, energy and resources are diverted to programs that address resulting problems
There is a growing awareness that teenage pregnancy and absent fathers are primarily symptoms of greater social problems. The impact of racism, unemployment, unequal access to quality education, inadequate health care, and poverty is immeasurable. Each can undermine the capacities and diminish the hopes of young men. Historical aspects have also played a role in some of the negative consequences experienced by generations of men from minority cultures. Many factors that contribute to an absence of responsible fatherhood relate directly to these systemic problems. Lack of positive role models. More boys than ever before are growing up in fatherless households. Without the experience of a consistent, positive male role model, it is more difficult to comprehend, value, or put into practice responsible behaviors pertaining to fatherhood. The words of one Hoosier sixth grader make this poignantly clear. When asked, "What is a good father?" he replied, "A man who comes around once in awhile; maybe sometimes he brings diapers for the baby." Peer influence. Early sexual activity and "baby-making" are viewed as a rite of passage within some groups of adolescent males. Peer influence may also lead young males away from the education and training needed for good jobs and responsible parenthood. Public policy. Current public policy regarding benefits, child support, and paternity establishment too often create barriers and disincentives for fathers to become involved. Low-income men who have fathered children outside of marriage are virtually ignored, while poor unmarried couples with children often receive more benefits if they live apart-or say that they do. Pervasive messages about sex. Our culture uses sex to entertain and to sell. Young people are bombarded by sexual references and innuendos on television, in magazines, and over the radio. Yet seldom does the media emphasize responsible sexual behavior or address the potential negative consequences of sexual activity. Social expectations and perceptions. Societal attitudes and assumptions-such as "boys will be boys" or "deadbeat dads"-convey an expectation that males will act irresponsibly, which can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Public perceptions generally equate "parenthood" with "motherhood" and too many assume that fathers don't care. Joblessness. The lack of jobs and adequate job training is a major barrier to family formation and father involvement. Young males who father babies are at the low point of their earning power and consequently in the poorest position to support their children. Men with no or low incomes tend to withdraw from other forms of involvement as well, often out of shame at their inability to be the family breadwinner. Inadequate information. Boys receive less formal sex education than girls. If they live in a mother-only household, they are also less likely to receive adequate information at home, since opposite sex parents tend to provide the least information. Sexual abuse and coercion. The majority of young sexually-active girls are introduced to sex against their will. In addition, many of the fathers of babies born to teens are themselves adults-a significant number are 6 or more years older than the mother. There appears to be little discussion about the factors contributing to the sexually predatory behavior of older men who sexually abuse and/or coerce young girls.
Clearly, the issues of responsible fatherhood are complex. So, too, are the solutions. No one answer or single focus is going to solve a problem that may be more an outgrowth of economic and social conditions than of individual failures. There are, however, significant components that surface repeatedly in successful programs throughout the country. Shared responsibility. While each man, regardless of age, holds the primary responsibility for when to become a father and what kind of father to be, all those in the community who have the opportunity to influence his choices or expand his capacities also share in this responsibility-parents, educators, religious and spiritual leaders, social service providers, employers, law enforcers and others. Broadbased and long-term commitment. The strategic framework for addressing responsible fatherhood must be long-term, broadbased, and encompass all aspects of fatherhood, including prevention, preparation, establishment of paternity, family involvement, and ongoing support. Strong relationships. Strong role models through the formative years provide young men with real life experiences that define male responsibility better than any curriculum. Whether the significant adult is a parent, a relative, a teacher, a coach or a mentor, the bottom line is that this person cares and is there. These positive relationships provide the basis for adolescents to make healthy choices and for new fathers to connect with their own children. Hope for the future. Young men must be able to see-and believe they can obtain-possible futures. Without a sense of future, youth take increasing risks. Hope for the future is built when young men see that working hard pays off and good behaviors bring positive outcomes. High expectations. Expectations become self-fulfilling. Anyone who works with families needs to embrace the growing evidence that boys and young men will act responsibly, that fathers do indeed care, and that men want to be involved with their families. And they need to show these expectations within an atmosphere of caring and respect. Education and employment. Young men need access to quality education that prepares them for future work. They also need training and employment opportunities that will enable them to support a family. Studies show that as men increase their earnings, they are also more likely to marry. Available opportunities. Equally important, all children and youth need opportunities to get involved-in sports, clubs, camps, after-school jobs, and other activities that enhance self-esteem, broaden horizons, teach responsibility, and promote healthy relationships. New fathers need opportunities for involvement too. There are many "connecting points" (such as prenatal visits, the birth of their baby, and their child's entry into child care or preschool) that offer windows of opportunity to invite father participation. Accurate information. Sex education is an important piece to any effort that promotes male responsibility. To be effective, accurate information must be provided not only on postponement, but also on prevention. Once on the road to fatherhood, men also need information about the benefits to establishing paternity and guidance in the development of nurturing parenting skills. Peer and professional support. Family support programs help men define and reach their personal, parental, and employment goals; peers help fathers define themselves. Fathers increase their understanding and strengthen their commitment when they can talk with other men in similar situations, share the normal struggles of fatherhood, and discover how others are solving problems. Peer teaching is also a strategy employed in many successful programs for adolescents. Male-focused. Programs need to be geared to males, rather than added to existing programs for females. It is important that boys and men have a place where they feel safe and where their needs can be met. These programs, however, must not overlook the key role that women play in promoting and supporting male responsibility. Programs need to foster respectful, caring relationships and quality communications between girls and boys, mothers and fathers. Elimination of barriers. Before barriers to responsible fatherhood can be addressed, they must be identified and understood. Societal beliefs, public policies, and punitive attitudes all undermine the positive involvement of fathers. Agencies can begin by praising responsible fatherhood and visibly challenging systems that impede it. Evaluation and research. Men and boys have for the most part been left out of research on teenage pregnancy and parenting. It is important for programs to invest the time and funds to learn not only what works, but also what gets in the way. Continued research on the impact of early and absent fatherhood is also indicated.
Teenage and adult male sexual activity: Having sex is more common among adolescent men than adolescent women, and more likely among black teenagers than among white or Hispanic youth.(1) Low-income teens are more likely to be sexually experienced than teens from higher income families, although the difference is not as great as those among racial and ethnic groups.(1) Some 74% of women who had intercourse before age 14 and 60% of those who had intercourse before age 15 report having had sex involuntarily.(1) Adolescent pregnancy: Fewer adolescent boys become fathers than adolescent girls. On average, the fathers of children born to adolescent mothers are two and a half years older than the mother; in 20% of the cases, they are at least six years older.(1) A 1992 Washington state study found that 62% of teen mothers had been raped or molested before they became pregnant; the offenders' mean age was 27.4 years.(2) Child support: Only one third of women under 30 raising children apart from the children's fathers received any child support in 1987.(1) Only 15% of never-married teen moms are ever awarded child support, and those with orders receive, on average, only one third of the amount originally awarded.(3) Fathers who do not marry the teen mothers of their children have incomes that could cover as much as 40-50% of the welfare costs to the teen mothers and their families.(3) Less than half of young, noncustodial fathers who were behind on child-support payments were living with their own fathers at age 14.(4) Absent fathers: The United States is the world's leader in fatherless homes; Indiana ranks fifth among the states.(5) Nationally, children in father-absent homes are five times more likely to be poor and about ten times more likely to be extremely poor. They are more likely to drop out of school, to get pregnant as teenagers, to abuse drugs, and to be in trouble with the law.(5) Among young men raised on welfare and living in public housing, those in father-absent homes are twice as likely to engage in criminal activities compared to those in two-parent families. Teenage girls who grow up without fathers tend to have sex earlier. A 15-year-old who has lived with her mother only, for example, is three times as likely to lose her virginity before she turns 16.(5) Family composition is a predictor of educational performance: children from low-income, two-parent families outperform students from high-income single-parent homes. Almost twice as many high achievers come from two-parent homes as one-parent homes.(5) About 40% of the children who live in fatherless homes haven't seen their fathers in at least a year. Of the remaining 60%, only one in five sleeps even one night per month in the father's home and only one in six sees the father an average of once or more per week.(5) Infants' scores on certain assessments of intellectual and motor development are higher if a father has been actively involved during the first six months of the child's life. Babies also have been found to manage stress better during their schools years if their fathers were involved during trhe first eight weeks of life.(4) References: (1) The Alan Guttmacher Institute, 1994 (2) Newsweek, 4-29-96 (3) The Robin Hood Foundation, 1996 (4) New Expectations, Levine and Pitt, 1995 (5) Indiana Office of the Governor, 1996
©1996 by Sue Christensen and Ann Rosen, The Family Connection of St. Joseph County, Inc. This briefing paper was developed for Memorial Health System, South Bend IN, for use in conjunction with a forumon teenage pregnancy, fatherhood, and black infant mortality. It may be copied in part or in whole to further advance the understanding of teenage pregnancy and to promote the implementation of successful strategies, providing credit is given to the authors, The Family Connection of St. Joseph County, Inc. and to Memorial Health System, South Bend, as sponsosr. |
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