Does the Attitude that Fathers are More Important for Sons than Daughters vary by Race/ethnicity?

• In Event: 324 - Regular Session. Race, Class, and Gender

Abstract

In this paper, we use the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study to explore whether the attitude that fathers are more important in boys’ lives compared to girls’ differs by race/ethnicity. We find that African Americans are more likely to endorse this belief, even after controlling for a host of demographic variables and gender ideology. We argue that the unique racist culture in the United States, one that is particularly overt and aggressive towards black men, leads to the bolstering of the idea that men are more important to their sons than their daughters. As this idea is thought to contribute to gender inequality in time children have with their fathers that favors boys, it has the potentially troubling consequence of further disadvantaging black girls.

Authors

• Emily Fitzgibbons Shafer, Portland State University

• Corey D. Fields, Stanford University

• Lauren Ferguson, Portland State University

• Morgan Price, Portland State University