Thesis (Th. M.)--Dallas Theological Seminary, 1984. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [91]-95).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Duquesne University, 2009. / Title from document title page. Abstract included in electronic submission form. Includes bibliographical references (p. 103-112) and index.

The role of fatherhood in communities that experience marginalization is not well understood in academic literature. Further, there is little known about the implementation and evaluation of physical activity programs that are accessible and suitable for fathers who experience income instability, racial discrimination, precarious housing, gender discrimination, and domestic and/or sexualized violence. In this thesis, which is presented in the publishable paper format and is comprised of two papers, I sought to address these gaps. Informed by a constructionist epistemology and an intersectional poststructuralist theoretical framework, in the first paper, I used document analysis and Bacchi and Goodwin’s (2016) “What’s the problem represented to be approach” to investigate how fathers are represented in the program policies of organizations that provide family-centred services in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In the second paper, guided by the methodological tenets of community-based participatory research, I used semi-structured interviews and critical discourse analysis to better understand how men’s lived experiences as fathers in the Downtown Eastside shaped their participation in Make a Move: Family Walking Program. Taken together, the findings from both papers provide insight into the lived experiences of fathers and the roles that policy and physical activity play in shaping fatherhood in the Downtown Eastside.

Thesis (M.A.)--Georgia State University, 2005. / Ralph LaRossa, committee chair; Toshi Kii, Elisabeth Burgess, committee members. Electronic text (90 p.) : digital, PDF file. Description based on contents viewed May 16, 2007. Includes bibliographical references (p. 80-83).

Infertile heterosexual couples comprise the majority of those pursuing parenthood via adoption. While research into the experience of adoptive parenthood has focused on adoptive mothers and couples, the research on either group has not fully captured the experience of adoptive fathers. The present study was aimed at understanding how men perceive adoption, and its pursuit, following failed infertility treatment. Sixteen established and prospective adoptive fathers were recruited to participate in individual semi-structured interviews. Narrative analysis was used to evaluate the men’s meaning-making process related to fatherhood. The men told stories which indicated they both believed and countered western culture’s master narrative that fatherhood is constructed via genetic reproduction. I elaborate on the implications of these narratives for understanding the experience of adoptive fatherhood in specific, and fatherhood in general. Following this, recommendations are made for infertility treatment practitioners, adoption service providers, and future researchers based on these implications.

In his model of psychosocial development, Erik H Erikson referred to the concept of generativity as a value that forms part of the adulthood phase of individuals. The concept has been defined as "... the desire to establish and nurture young people". Applied to parenting and in particular fathering, it refers to "... fathering that meets the needs of children by working to create and maintain a developing ethical relationship with them" (Dollahite et al., 1997a: 18). Such a relationship is important insofar as it necessitates the creation and maintenance of three psychosocial strengths, namely hope, fidelity and care - all of which are important for an individual to be healthy and functional (Erikson, 1984; 1997). The dissertation that follows primarily focused on the changing nature of fathering, with particular emphasis on a comparison between heterosexual and gay fathering in South Africa. This comparison served to indicate the manner in which these men conceptualised fathering, and the degree to which they displayed the principles of generative fathering to determine their possible differences and similarities. Evident from some of the key findings were the following. Firstly, in terms of the manner in which the men defined fathering, both groupings used similar concepts to define the position of a father. Secondly, based on the thorough discussion of the basic principles of generative fathering in Chapter Two, it was quite evident that both heterosexual and gay fathers knowingly and unknowingly ascribed to them. These included the components of generative fathering, being interaction, accessibility and paternal responsibility and the various categories of generative fathering, including ethical work, stewardship, development work and relationship work. Based on these similarities, it was of particular interest to the researcher that it was not the sexual orientation of the respondents which impacted on their relationship with their children, but rather independent factors such as the manner in which they were socialised by their fathers, their educational and occupational levels, as well as spousal support. As such, the research underscored the importance of eradicating traditional notions of the father serving only as moral figure, economic provider and gender role model. In addition, it also emphasised the fact that 'gay fathering' should not be regarded as a contradiction in terms, but that 'gay fathering' and the seemingly stereotypical 'gay lifestyle', should be viewed as two distinct and independent entities. / Thesis (M.A. (Sociology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

Infertile heterosexual couples comprise the majority of those pursuing parenthood via adoption. While research into the experience of adoptive parenthood has focused on adoptive mothers and couples, the research on either group has not fully captured the experience of adoptive fathers. The present study was aimed at understanding how men perceive adoption, and its pursuit, following failed infertility treatment. Sixteen established and prospective adoptive fathers were recruited to participate in individual semi-structured interviews. Narrative analysis was used to evaluate the men’s meaning-making process related to fatherhood. The men told stories which indicated they both believed and countered western culture’s master narrative that fatherhood is constructed via genetic reproduction. I elaborate on the implications of these narratives for understanding the experience of adoptive fatherhood in specific, and fatherhood in general. Following this, recommendations are made for infertility treatment practitioners, adoption service providers, and future researchers based on these implications.

In his model of psychosocial development, Erik H Erikson referred to the concept of generativity as a value that forms part of the adulthood phase of individuals. The concept has been defined as "... the desire to establish and nurture young people". Applied to parenting and in particular fathering, it refers to "... fathering that meets the needs of children by working to create and maintain a developing ethical relationship with them" (Dollahite et al., 1997a: 18). Such a relationship is important insofar as it necessitates the creation and maintenance of three psychosocial strengths, namely hope, fidelity and care - all of which are important for an individual to be healthy and functional (Erikson, 1984; 1997). The dissertation that follows primarily focused on the changing nature of fathering, with particular emphasis on a comparison between heterosexual and gay fathering in South Africa. This comparison served to indicate the manner in which these men conceptualised fathering, and the degree to which they displayed the principles of generative fathering to determine their possible differences and similarities. Evident from some of the key findings were the following. Firstly, in terms of the manner in which the men defined fathering, both groupings used similar concepts to define the position of a father. Secondly, based on the thorough discussion of the basic principles of generative fathering in Chapter Two, it was quite evident that both heterosexual and gay fathers knowingly and unknowingly ascribed to them. These included the components of generative fathering, being interaction, accessibility and paternal responsibility and the various categories of generative fathering, including ethical work, stewardship, development work and relationship work. Based on these similarities, it was of particular interest to the researcher that it was not the sexual orientation of the respondents which impacted on their relationship with their children, but rather independent factors such as the manner in which they were socialised by their fathers, their educational and occupational levels, as well as spousal support. As such, the research underscored the importance of eradicating traditional notions of the father serving only as moral figure, economic provider and gender role model. In addition, it also emphasised the fact that 'gay fathering' should not be regarded as a contradiction in terms, but that 'gay fathering' and the seemingly stereotypical 'gay lifestyle', should be viewed as two distinct and independent entities. / Thesis (M.A. (Sociology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

Doctor of Philosophy / School of Family Studies and Human Services / Walter R. Schumm / The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate factors related to quantity and quality of biological father involvement in non-intact families and family support and their association with young adult child outcomes. The independent variables examined were the biological father's number of years living with his child, early, middle and late developmental periods present, number of transitions, and relationship quality with the young adult child during childhood. The dependent variables were related to sexual health and five distinct domains that have emerged from the research literature: 1) education, 2) economic, 3) physical, 4) social, and 5) emotional. This dissertation drew on a subsample of the 2,988 respondents of the New Family Structures Study (NFSS). Biological fathers were examined from non-intact families (n = 1793) of which 1,080, lived with their child for at least part of a year. The Father Adult-child Involvement Relationship Outcomes (FAIRO) Model was developed with current literature and theory to form quantity and quality father involvement hypotheses and test those using mean comparisons, bivariate, and multivariate analyses. This study detected weak to moderate positively statistically significant associations between the quantity and quality of the biological father involvement in the non-intact families and young adult child outcomes. The results seemed to indicate the importance of the role of the father; even in a non-intact family where the father spends time apart from his children, he is still able to influence the outcomes of his children. The findings pointed to the need for further research into fatherhood transitions, early involvement, and the salient influence of family support. This research takes a small step in examining quantity and quality father involvement associations on young adult outcomes to make an incremental contribution to the research, theory, and practice of father involvement that may benefit the future well-being of children.

Thesis advisor: Paul G. Schervish / Men's experiences at home and at work are changing, bringing to light new ways in which fathers identify with these two realms. This research expands upon current understandings of paternal identity by analyzing the potential for overlap and reinforcement between men's attachments to work and parenting. In this analysis, non-hierarchical, independent measures of work and parenting identities are constructed from a recently surveyed sample of 726 "New fathers"--professional, high-earning white men with children under 18, a group arguably marked by the desire to be more involved in home life, yet also faced with high work demands. In order to determine the differences between men that report identifying strongly with both work and parenting from those that do not, I use multinomial logistic regression to capture the association between demographic traits, time spent in both roles, support from others, perceptions of enrichment and the odds of identifying strongly with either work and family, neither, or both. The results demonstrate that time spent in a role, support from coworkers and managers, and higher reports of enrichment between the spheres are all associated with a respondent's odds of reporting dually strong attachments to work and parenting. The findings yield both theoretical contributions and practical implications, providing 1) new understandings of how some fathers experience synergistic parenting and work identifications, 2) evidence that fathers' perceptions of workplace support and positive overlap between their roles are associated with reports of higher identification with both, and 3) directions for future research that address how institutional practices in the workplace relate to fathers' reports of dually strong role identifications. / Thesis (MA) — Boston College, 2012. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Sociology.