Black Fathers in Contemporary American Society : Strengths, Weaknesses, and Strategies for Change

The majority of African American children live in homes without their fathers, but the proportion of African American children living in intact, two-parent families has risen significantly since 1995. Black Fathers in Contemporary American Society looks at father absence from two sides, offering an in-depth analysis of how the absence of African American fathers affects their children, their relationships, and society as a whole, while countering the notion that father absence and family fragmentation within the African American community is inevitable. Editors Obie Clayton, Ronald B. Mincy, and David Blankenhorn lead a diverse group of contributors encompassing a range of disciplines and ideological perspectives who all agree that father absence among black families is one of the most pressing social problems today. In part I, the contributors offer possible explanations for the decline in marriage among African American families. William Julius Wilson believes that many men who live in the inner city no longer consider marriage an option because their limited economic prospects do not enable them to provide for a family. Part II considers marriage from an economic perspective, emphasizing that it is in part a wealth-producing institution. Maggie Gallagher points out that married people earn, invest, and save more than single people, and that when marriage rates are low in a community, it is the children who suffer most. In part III, the contributors discuss policies to reduce absentee fatherhood. Wornie Reed demonstrates how public health interventions, such as personal development workshops and work-related skill-building services, can be used to address the causes of fatherlessness. Wade Horn illustrates the positive results achieved by fatherhood programs, especially when held early in a man's life. In the last chapter, Enola Aird notes that from 1995 to 2000, the proportion of African American children living in two-parent, married couple homes rose from 34.8 to 38.9 percent; a significant increase indicating the possible reversal of the long-term shift toward black family fragmentation. Black Fathers in Contemporary American Society provides an in-depth look at a problem affecting millions of children while offering proof that the trend of father absence is not irrevocable. Title Page Copyright CONTENTS CONTRIBUTORS FOREWORD ACKNOWLEDGMENTS INTRODUCTION 1. THE WOES OF THE INNER-CITY AFRICAN AMERICAN FATHER 2. MARRIAGE AND FATHERHOOD IN THE LIVES OF AFRICAN AMERICAN MEN 3. THE MARRIAGE MYSTERY: MARRIAGE, ASSETS, AND THE EXPECTATIONS OF AFRICAN AMERICAN FAMILIES 4. THE MARRIAGE GAP: HOW AND WHY MARRIAGE CREATES WEALTH AND BOOSTS THE WELL-BEING OF ADULTS 5. THE EFFECTS OF CRIME AND IMPRISONMENT ON FAMILY FORMATION 6. BUILDING A FATHERHOOD MOVEMENT IN SOUTH CAROLINA 7. FATHERLESSNESS IN AFRICAN AMERICAN FAMILIES: PRIMARY, SECONDARY, AND TERTIARY PREVENTION 8. IS IT WORKING? EARLY EVALUATIONS OF FATHERHOOD-RENEWAL PROGRAMS 9. MAKING THE WOUNDED WHOLE: MARRIAGE AS CIVIL RIGHT AND CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY CONCLUSIONS INDEX The contributors to this volume argue that (black) fathers must be brought back into the picture, especially in a social context in which a huge absolute percentage of black families are single-parent, female-headed households and in which African Americans, especially young black men, face an alarmingly high lifetime probability of incarceration Obie Clayton, Ron Mincy, David Blankenhorn, Editors. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.