by William Marsiglio, Professor of Sociology, University of Florida
Although the multilayered cultural narrative of American fathering is slowly evolving in progressive ways, the word “fathering,” for too many, still signals notions of paternity, breadwinning, or something nebulous about “being there.” “Mothering,” on the other hand, more readily conjures up sentiments tied to nurturance, caregiving—the core stuff of relationships.
by Ralph LaRossa, Ph.D., Department of Sociology, Georgia State University
... I examined the culture and conduct of fatherhood from the early 1900s to the beginning of the Second World War. In a current project, I am studying fatherhood in the 1950s and am trying to get a sense of how involved fathers were with their kids back then. The work has been a journey of sorts for me, because I was a youngster in the 1950s, and am part of the cultural and behavioral fabric I now endeavor to understand.
by Robert M. Milardo, Ph.D., Professor of Family Relations, University of Maine
I did not intend to write a book about aunts and uncles or their nieces and nephews, at least not initially. I began with a simple interest in uncovering instances of men in caregiving roles, other than fathers. My own uncles were positive influences in my life, and I simply wondered if uncles were important in the lives of others.
A new study shows that girls start to menstruate earlier when they experience biologically-disrupted homes(families in which the biological parents are separated or divorced) in early childhood. When a girl starts life with a high-risk father in the home, and then the family breaks up and that father leaves, her timing of puberty changes. She gets her first period about a year earlier than does either her older sister or other girls from disrupted families whose fathers do not display high risk behavior.
