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Journal Article The experiences of mothers and fathers are different in ways that could affect their well-being. Yet few studies have comprehensively examined gender differences in parents’ well-being. In the current research, we investigated such gender differences in a large representative sample (Study 1a; N = 13,007), in a community sample using validated well-being measures (Study 1b; N = 472), and in a large experience sampling study measuring happiness during caregiving activities and during interactions with children (Study 2; N = 4,930). Fathers reported greater happiness, subjective well-being,…
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Journal Article As laws and attitudes have become friendlier to queer families in recent decades, gay fathers have experienced increased visibility in and through both media and scholarship. However, this visibility has been distributed unevenly along normative patterns of marital status, race, class, and kinship. Findings suggest that single gay fathers, gay fathers of color, and gay fathers who had children in heterosexual contexts occupy marginalized statuses within the gay fatherhood community. The experiences of gay fathers on the margins highlight the negative consequences of gay fatherhood discourses…
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Journal Article Despite numerous studies on parenting stress suggesting negative influences on parent–child interactions and children's development, the majority of these studies focus on mothers' parenting stress with little or no acknowledgement of fathers. Using data from the National Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project, this study examined (i) the effects of fathers' parenting stress during toddlerhood on children's language and cognitive outcomes when children are 3 years old (ii) whether the effects of fathers' parenting stress on children's language and cognitive development vary by child…
The extent to which men are beginning to enact new, more flexible models of masculinity remains an empirical question. What we do know is that many men continue to adhere rigidly to traditional gender role ideologies, which have been consistently linked to a range of negative physical and psychological outcomes (Berger, Addis, Green, Mackowiak, & Goldberg, 2013; Levant & Richmond, 2007; O'Neil, 2008). Although these trends continue, there is one area of men’s lives where such changes have been visible, quantifiable, and widespread: fathering. Such shifts, the focus of the current…
Since the late 1970s and early 1980s, the psychological study of masculinity and the practice of gender-sensitive approaches to psychotherapy with boys and men has gradually become a specialty area within psychology. Recognizing that masculinity is a central aspect of men’s lives, psychologists began to study the male socialization process, socially prescribed notions of masculinity, and the psychological and social problems of boys and men (Englar-Carlson, 2006). Within this movement, a group of pioneering psychologists developed the gender role strain paradigm (GRSP) as a framework for the…
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Journal Article This study explored the relationship between the involvement of biological fathers and the sexual risk behaviors and dating violence/victimization and/or perpetration of adolescent girls. The data used in this cross-sectional analysis were drawn from the second wave of the public release of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Only adolescents who reported their biological sex as female, reported a history of being sexually active, and reported having a romantic partner in the previous 18 months were selected (N = 879). This study focused on overall positive sexual behaviors…
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Journal Article Contemporary ideologies of fatherhood reflect the importance of instrumental support of breadwinning men; however, there has been an increased emphasis on the expressive and nurturing aspects of fathers. This content analysis explores popular portrayals of fatherhood as conceptualized in articles (N = 50) from five American parenting magazines. Depictions of fathers fell into categories supportive of hegemonic masculinity that emphasized men’s breadwinning identities over their roles as parents. Men were often cast in ambiguous situations where they struggled to establish their parental…
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Journal Article In this Population Bulletin, the authors examine trends in U.S. family formation and stability, focusing on differences across racial/ethnic groups and by socioeconomic status. They provide an up-to-date overview of key demographic research on marriage, cohabitation, divorce, and childbearing as well as the processes underlying family change. Data and research on same-sex partnerships and marriages are examined separately because of data limitations (see Box 1, page 4). The authors also address the implications of family structure and stability for children's well-being, and discuss the…
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Journal Article Given the recent attention to high-profile cases of unarmed Black men being killed by law enforcement officials and the subsequent #BlackLivesMatter movement, additional work is needed to more fully understand how African American men make meaning of their own personal realities and how they connect with and within the larger narrative of Black life in the United States. To contribute to this literature, the current study analyzes qualitative interview data from 25 Black men focused on their self-conceptions of race, stereotyping, and profiling. The findings reveal the men’s perceptions…
This report summarizes the key findings from the implementation of Wise Guys, a comprehensive sex education program designed specifically for males implemented in seven Davenport-area middle schools during the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 school years.Wise Guys aim is to promote male responsibility while helping prevent teenage pregnancy. The curriculum also works to strengthen communication between boys and their parents; increase knowledge related to sexual attitudes and the consequences of risky behavior; and enhances boys’ ability to identify personal values and beliefs related to sexuality.…
