The Role of Fathers in the Lives of Black Women of Achievement

Abstract

For several years, we have reviewed the literature and attempted to understand interaction dynamic within families.' literature review has revealed only partial information about family adaptations because sociologists, like journalists, are more inclined to document social problems rather than social possibilities. They tend to focus on family failures rather than successes. Much has been written about the negative consequences for children when parents default on fulfilling their roles. We need to know, also, about the positive effects for sons and daughters when mothers and fathers function in appropriate and proper ways. Many discussions about offspring and the contributions parents make to their lives have to do largely with fathers and their sons2 or mothers and their daughters.Mothers are seldom discussed in studies of the success of sons. As a corrective for this omission of information, a chapter on The Roles of Mothers in the Lives of Outstanding Scholars was included in the book, A New Look at Black Families.4 Reported are findings of a small study mothers were significantly related to the success of their male offspring. Despite [living] in a variety of family structures [including single-parent] two-parent, and extended family household.. encouragement by mothers was a common experience for all [of the black male] scholars in the study.5 Fathers, and particularly black fathers, are seldom mentioned in studies of the adaptation of women. Jill Ker Conway's book Written by Herself 6 reports on the lives of women which can't be crammed into conventional cultural