2007 University of Michigan Poverty Research Grants
Funded research
Maria Johnson, Department of Sociology and Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan.
Pathways to Success: Implications of the Father-Daughter Relationship for African-American College Women’s Educational Experiences and Romantic Relationship Expectations
Abstract
Social scientists have a long history of studying the Black family, with most studies detailing family formation patterns and behaviors among impoverished African-Americans. Absent from many of these studies are thoughtful explorations of the influence of gender, class, and race on family formation. One particular familial relationship that is under-researched is the father-daughter relationship. This study of forty African-American college women’s perceptions of their relationships with their fathers represents an attempt to address a small part of the gap in knowledge.
Using data collected from in-depth qualitative interviews with 40 women, I will explore how these women express their understanding of experiences with their fathers, fatherhood as a concept, and future family formation expectations. Participants in this study will be women from working class backgrounds from two types of households: households where they lived their entire lives with both biological parents or single-mother-headed households. The project looks for trends in the ways that women from intact two-parent households and women from single-mother-headed households place their fathers in various spheres of their lives, such as contributions to their academic success, and how they understand their fathers and fatherhood in a familial and societal context.
Results of this study have policy implications for the following: a) policies related to understanding the process by which fathers parent and create cohesive family units, b) policies seeking to understand the contributions of fathers to the academic success of their children, particularly for first generation college students, and c) policies related to family formation and healthy relationships.
