“How Absent are Black Fathers, Really?: Exploring the Fluidity of Absence in Black Men’s Childhood Experiences”

• In Event: Family Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 2: Black Families

Abstract

This research is broadly inspired by the persistent framing of non-resident Black fathers through the use of data that misrepresents how engaged they are in their children’s lives. To address this issue, this research builds off of previous scholarship that seeks to reimagine how we measure and define absence. Specifically, past studies have effectively illustrated the meaningful variation in how absence occurs. Yet these studies have not accounted for those experiencing multiple patterns of absence during childhood. This void is consequential for our ability to effectively measure individual experiences with absence and accurately compare experiences across individuals. I explore this “fluidity of absence” by examining the extent to which one experiences multiple types of absence during childhood. Data for this research came from in-depth interviews with 35 young Black men about their childhood experiences with father absence. Three primary research questions guide the analysis of this data: 1) How can we categorize men’s childhood experiences with absence? 2) How can we account for the extent to which individuals experience multiple patterns of absence? 3) How can we effectively compare the experiences of absence across individuals? Key findings emerge from these questions. First, this study illustrates the fluid nature of absence and presents a novel approach for measuring the fluidity of childhood absence for each individual. Specifically, a vivid spectrum of absence is revealed, organizing individuals according to how extreme their absence was based on the number and duration of each pattern they experienced. Second, trends in the data suggest that Black children generally experience less extreme forms of absence. Two major contributions emerge from this study. First, it provides an innovative approach to measuring individual experiences with absence. Second, it encourages the use of data points that better reflect the frequency with which non-resident fathers see their children.

Author

• Matthew Alemu, Northeastern University