How Absent Fathers Talk About Fathering

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  In Refereed Roundtable (60 min): Table 14: Family Structures

Abstract

Father absenteeism has been referred to as the “single biggest social problem” plaguing US society (Baskerville 2002). However, very few nonresidential fathers (i.e. fathers that do not live in the same household as their biological child) are completely absent from their children’s lives. In this paper, we examine social scientific research on “absent fathers,” suggest a more nuanced approach to the relationship between non-residential fatherhood and father involvement, and use data from two qualitative studies to illustrate how absent fathers themselves talk about fatherhood. We conclude by discussing the implications of our research for social scientific debates about parenting, fatherhood, and masculinity.

Authors

• Christine Simon, Yale University

• Stephane D Andrade, Yale University

• Rene Almeling, Yale University