Revision of Thesis--Yale. / Bibliography: p. 106-113.

Over the past two decades, communities across the nation have been mired in battles over sexuality, including gay rights, censorship, and sex education. Based on indepth interview data with 47 racially and economically diverse parents of teenagers, this study explores how parents make sense of and try to guide their children's sexuality in the midst of these hotly contested and politically charged debates. The findings highlight a paradox in parents' understandings of their children's sexuality: the parents interviewed for this study do not think of their own children as sexual subjects, even as they construct adolescents, in general, as highly sexual and sexualized. The author explores this paradox throughout the dissertation. She argues that parents' understandings reflect the complex interplay of myriad forces: these include the culture of sexual fear in the U.S.; dominant understandings of adolescence; gender, race, class, and sexual inequalities; and a pervasive American individualist ethos that situates the blame for any negative outcomes of teen sexuality on parents and their children. At the same time, however, these constructions often bolster social inequality. As the author shows, parents' understandings of adolescent sexuality, and their lessons to their children about sexuality, are not only shaped by, but also serve to legitimize, hierarchies and inequalities based on race, class, gender, sexuality, and age. The final chapter discusses the specific social and cultural conditions that might enable parents to think of their children as sexual subjects. / text

Men are frequently left out of the picture in the study of family planning and sexual risk behavior. This approach means few programs and policies address men's family planning and sexual health issues. There is also a lack of understanding of the role fatherhood plays in men's development and in family planning and sexual health. For Mexican immigrant men, the picture is even worse given their disadvantaged position and the unique obstacles they face (e.g., language barriers, acculturation issues) that put them at risk for experiencing unintended pregnancies and contracting Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs). Grounded in symbolic interactionism and life course theory, I explored how social roles (e.g., partner, father), individual factors (e.g., education, cultural values), and health systems influence the family planning and sexual risk-taking experiences of young Mexican immigrant men paying particular attention to differences and similarities between fathers and nonfathers. To answer the research questions, a qualitative study was conducted using secondary data from the Latino Health Project: Men Only. The sample was comprised of 21 fathers and 25 nonfathers ages 18 to 30 (N = 46), all of whom had lived in the United States for 10 years or fewer, thus being considered recent immigrants. Data for the project were collected using a semi-structured interview guide with open-ended questions followed by directive probes. The analysis process used grounded theory methodology techniques (LaRossa, 2005). Key findings suggest that both fatherhood status and partners play an important role in men's experience with sexual and reproductive health, with partners playing a more influential role. Fatherhood plays a more active role in men's ideas about family planning while partners seem to play an influential role in men's actual behaviors such as engaging in family planning services and using birth control other than condoms. The influence that fatherhood and partners have on men's experiences with family planning and sexual risk-taking was shaped by a unique combination of accurate information, different levels of knowledge, and misinformation. Access to services was shaped by health systems that prevented men from seeking services due to documentation issues and economic barriers. Cultural factors such as machismo, marianismo, and personalismo also influenced some attitudes and behaviors related to birth control use, vasectomies, risk-taking, and services utilization. Findings suggest these men are exposing themselves and their partners to unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections. Beyond these being public health concerns, it is crucial that researchers, policy makers, and service providers remember that current sexual risk behaviors have a direct impact on the fertility and family formation patterns of the fastest growing population in the United States. / Graduation date: 2012 / Access restricted to the OSU Community at author's request from Jan. 9, 2012 - Jan. 9, 2013