Handbook of Father Involvement: Multidisciplinary Perspectives

Handbook of Father Involvement: Multidisciplinary Perspectives edited by Catherine S. Tamis-LeMonda and Natasha Cabrera Mahwah, NJ, Lawrence Erlbaum, 2002, 658 pp, 150. 00. This book is intended to whet the appetite for those who may have even a remote interest in father involvement. The book’s subtitle, “Multidisciplinary Perspectives, ” holds true to form. It provides a necessary framework for understanding key theory concerning research and policy in various scientific disciplines from demography to public policy and everything in between. The book is divided into six sections: (1) The Demography of Fathers, (2) Father Involvement and Child Development, (3) Father Involvement: Sociological and Anthropological Perspectives, (4) Father Involvement: Evolutionary Perspectives, (5) Father Involvement: Economic Perspective, and (6) Father Involvement: Social Policy and Intervention. Each section contains several chapters that focus on a specific aspect of the overall section topic, which are written by experts in various disciplines. The book opens by discussing the methodological, measurement, and study design issues relevant to father involvement research. It provides an in-depth view of the critically important challenges facing researchers of all disciplines who are interested in this topic. First on the list is how father should be defined. Should the definition be restricted to biological fathers or broadened to include father figures and step-fathers? Other issues discussed are how father involvement should be measured, whether adoption of measures previously used in research regarding mothers is appropriate, and what analytical framework should be used in interpreting data. The first section focuses on providing a demographic profile of fathers and an analysis of the time that fathers spend with their children, based on United States national data. On average, fathers spend about 65% to 75% (3. 9—4. 5 hours per day) as much time with their children as mothers, who spend about 6 hours per day with their children. However, as the authors in the opening chapter point out, the quality of the time fathers (or mothers) spend with children may be just as important, but is quite challenging to measure. Contrary to past popular beliefs, infants and children do form attachments with their fathers and, thus, fathers do contribute to their children’s development. The central theme of the second section focuses on father involvement and its relationship with child development outcomes. Palkovitz informs the reader that many research studies have established that father involvement is associated with positive child development outcomes, but causality has been much more difficult to determine. Much debate exists regarding whether father involvement directly influences child development outcomes (e. g. , academic achievement, language skills, etc. ) or is mediated by other factors, such as a harmonious relationship among parents and family members that is facilitated by the father’s involvement. Palkovitz skillfully uses a quote by Parke and Brott (1996) that summarizes what most researchers agree upon: “Fathers matter. And they matter a lot. ” Sections 3 and 4 wonderfully illustrate how the ways in which fathers “matter” to their children can differ among groups based on differing cultural values. Until this point, the book exclusively deals with father involvement within the United States and uses data collected in the United States. However, the authors of these sections demonstrate to the reader that various perspectives regarding father involvement exist within the United States, as well as in other countries. The authors introduce us to the cultures of the Tswana and Okavango Delta peoples of Botswana, English-speaking Caribbean fathers, and fathers in the “’hood, ” the American inner city. Different cultural communities have different needs, and this may influence their views of important child outcomes and the roles that fathers have to play. Sections 5 and 6 address the economic issues that influence father involvement and the policy implications. Economic theory suggests that a poor economy and negative labor market forces can discourage father involvement. In addition, programs such as Aid to Families with Dependent Children and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (AFDC/TANF) and court-ordered child support may also discourage father involvement. AFDC/TANF eligibility criteria require that families who receive assistance not have a man living in the household. Fathers who participate in court-ordered child support may be resentful of the process and may feel less inclined to be involved. In the last section, the authors provide a cogent argument regarding the need to intervene on behalf of fathers, children, and their families to create policies that promote father involvement, rather than maintaining those that discourage involvement. Not only do the authors call for changes in national policy, they offer suggestions for change. For example, fathers who are cohabitating with the child and the mother would not be required to enter into a court-ordered child-support agreement. Another example would be to raise the income test eligibility for AFDC/TANF to include two-parent families. This book was easy to read and was not peppered with a lot of specialized jargon. Although I enjoyed this book tremendously, there are two topics that received little, if any, attention: fathers who are single parents and religious influences on father involvement. Perhaps, this is because there is little research on these topics. I hope consideration will be given to including these topics in the next edition.