Vast majority of impoverished fathers involved with their children

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-10/uab-vmo100316.php

Public Release: 3-Oct-2016
Vast majority of impoverished fathers involved with their children
University at Buffalo

Many policymakers and elected officials, including President Barack Obama, have publicly criticized impoverished and African-American fathers for not being involved in the lives of their children. But a new study published in the journal Families in Society suggests the criticism is largely unfounded and that even in cases of incarceration, most low-income fathers are connected to their children.

"Regardless of what these fathers were facing, they tried to stay involved with their children," says Robert Keefe, PhD, an associate professor in the University at Buffalo School of Social Work and the paper's lead author.

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Results from data collected between 1996 and 2011 indicate that 94 percent of mothers interviewed say their children's fathers were somewhat involved or highly involved with their families.

The public criticism derives from a narrow definition of "involvement."

How we look at father involvement in this country is all financial, according to Keefe, who says "all kinds of factors are considered when talking about what makes a good mother, but with fathers, economic support is the major criterion."

Keefe also points to disproportionate rates of incarceration for African-Americans, which compound the flawed perception of low involvement. Those fathers who are in jail remain involved as much as possible through visitation and phone calls - both of which mean additional financial strain for families already struggling with finances.

"Many low-income fathers who are not incarcerated also face challenges to remaining involved in their children's lives" said Keefe. "Working three or four jobs, being called away for military duty or volunteering at jobs in hopes the job will turn into a full-time paying job are all ways fathers try to provide for their children, but also pose limitations on the amount of time they can spend with their children."

"It's not fair to limit defining fatherhood involvement to economics when many of these dads are trying to be good fathers," says Keefe. "Since all of the fathers in the study were low income, their economic contributions might not be that great and because of that they're automatically thought of as any number of things we've heard, from deadbeat dads to just being uninvolved."

Yet Keefe's conversations with the mothers and fathers reveal concrete examples of involvement.

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