Lost and Found: Young Fathers in the Age of Unwed Parenthood

Abstract

In Lost and Found: Young Fathers in the Age of Unwed Parenthood, psychologists Paul Florsheim and David Moore consider the experiences of fathers on their transition to parenthood in a unique context—teen fathers who were participants in the authors’ co-parenting program and living in Salt Lake City or Chicago. The authors address a number of relevant themes for this topic including (1) the decoupling of marriage and childbearing, (2) structural inequalities and barriers to father involvement, (3) the transition to parenthood and its linkages with parental well-being and romantic relationships, (4) co-parenting, (5) parental identity and attachment, and (6) policy and program implications to support young, unwed fathers. Primary analyses in Lost and Found stem from couple-level interviews. Interview data from mothers and fathers are consistent on most topics—with a noteworthy exception being the intention to avoid pregnancy. Based on the description of the data, a few things remain unclear: (1) the degree to which the experiences of the 22 couples in Lost and Found represent patterns and themes present in the broader sample, (2) when (i.e., calendar year) interviews occurred, and (3) how many couples remained in analyses from the baseline (prebirth) to the final follow up interview (2 years after the birth). Key findings illustrate that many teen fathers successfully transition to fatherhood better than expected given the significant structural barriers these young men face concerning both stable employment and relationships. In addition, the authors demonstrate that romantic relationships among teen parents—which some prior research has trivialized—can be significant sources of both support and strain for parents’ well-being. In short, findings align with much of the existing scholarship on fatherhood in an era of unwed childbearing by emphasizing that unwed teen fathers, like their older, unwed counterparts report (1) higher risks of unplanned births, (2) economic uncertainty, (3) elevated family instability, and (4) high risk of incarceration—to name some barriers to father involvement. In spite of these challenges, some enter relationships with birth mothers that are characterized by high levels of stability and relationship quality. Many others, who are unable to make the romantic relationships with the mother “work,” are able to effectively coparent with former partners.