Parents’ awareness of lesbian,gay, and bisexual youths’ sexual orientation

This study used a sample of 293 lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth to examine factors that differentiated youth whose parents knew of their sexual orientation from youth whose parents did not know. Earlier awareness and disclosure of same‐gender attractions, greater childhood gender atypicality, and less internalized homophobia were characteristic of youth whose parents were aware of youths’ sexual orientation. Youth with aware parents reported more past verbal victimization on the basis of sexual orientation from parents, yet more current family support and less fear of future parental victimization on the basis of their sexual orientation.     

Latino and African American Non-Custodial Fathers

Abstract

This study examines the perspectives of 30 Latino (n = 17) and African American (n = 13) low-income non-custodial fathers regarding their role as fathers and the child support system. Using an ethnographic approach, these non-custodial fathers (NCFs) were asked about their own childhood and background, their relationship with their own fathers, their relationship with their non-custodial child(ren), and their views of the child support system. The cultural portrait that emerges is one of a group of fathers who express a strong desire to be positive role models to their children and to play a significant role in their lives. Notwithstanding their negative feelings toward the child support enforcement system, they need to increase their knowledge regarding the process in order to clarify both their responsibilities and their rights. Implications for social work policy and research are included.     

Paternal Involvement with Children: The Influence of Gender Ideologies

Although prior social science research has established the ability of gender ideologies to influence the domestic division of labor, it has neglected to disentangle their potentially unique influence on paternal involvement with children. Past research examining the influence of gender ideology on parenting behaviors does not acknowledge potential differences that may result from accounting for each parent's gender ideology. Using both waves of the National Survey of Families and Households (N = 1,088), I assess the effect of both mother's and father's gender ideology on two measures of paternal involvement. Whereas egalitarian fathers demonstrate greater involvement than traditional fathers, mother's gender ideology failed to predict paternal involvement. Egalitarian mothers do not appear to negotiate greater father involvement successfully.     

EXPLORING FATHERHOOD: MASCULINITY AND INTERSUBJECTIVITY IN THE RESEARCH PROCESS

Exploring issues of fatherhood with men raises important questions about how identities are produced in the research process, and particularly about the part played by gender when both researcher and ‘researched’ are men. The article draws on the author's recent research with British fathers and makes extensive use of an individual case study, to suggest ways in which defensive and intersubjective processes interact in the production of one man's narrative of fatherhood and in the process of interpretation and analysis. The article's conclusions have implications both for researching masculinity and for working with men.     

Adolescents from Stepfamilies,Single-Parent Families and (In) Stable Intact Families in The Netherlands

This aiticle 'examines the effects on intimate relation- ships, relational attitudes, and well-being of growing up in: stepfami- lies after divorce, single-parent families, instable intact families, and stable intact families. Data are used from the national panel study USAD (Utrecht Study of Adolescence Development), a study of de- velopments as they occur in the life course of young people during h e 1990s. Results are presented from 2,064 respondents between 15 and 25 years of age, about their well-being and their development in inti- mate relationships and their views on (marriage) relationships. On a number of topics their parents are interviewed as well. From the analysis, it is clear that young people who lived in single- parent families and in stepfamilies significantly differ from young people who lived in stable intact families. Young people from single- parent families are more likely to start their relational career sooner and reported more problems with intimate relations than youngsters from stable intact families. Youngsters from stepfamilies have more modem views on relations than people from intact families. Adolescents from instable intact families have moderate scores. Most of these effects re- main when the results are adjustdfor differences in social class, family income and the parental views on family life.     

Social Constructions of Masculinity and Male Survivors of Wartime Sexual Violence: an Analytical Review

ABSTRACT

Male sexual violence has been reported in 25 armed conflicts in recent years. However, communities and organizations are not equipped to deal with male survivors of sexual violence because it undermines the ideals of social constructions of masculinity. Compared with females, male survivors lack access to reproductive health programs and are generally ignored in gender-based violence discourse. Yet, male survivors are known to suffer from numerous physical injuries and psychosocial disorders. In this review, we call for a move beyond the paradigm of female-only sexual violence victims and for programs that address both male and female survivors.     

Gay Fathers Expanding the Possibilities for Us All

Abstract

This article describes a qualitative research study of 21 men who became fathers as openly gay men. The fathers were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire in a focus group format. The data were analyzed using grounded theory methodology. The narrative data depict the men's paths toward fatherhood. The themes elicited from their narratives suggested how gay men are changing traditional cultural norms for fathers, families, and masculinity. The authors propose that by degendering parenting, reconceptualizing family, and reworking masculine gender roles, gay fathers are expanding role norms in novel ways that may serve as alternative models for all families.     

“Homosexualization” revisited: an audience-focused theorization of wartime male sexual violence

This paper builds upon and challenges existing literature regarding the causes of wartime male sexual violence (particularly Sivakumaran’s concept of “homosexualization”). The author argues that norms about sexuality and the intended audience of violence motivate male sexual violence in three ways. First, perpetrators choose to express power over the individual victim through the weaponization of masculinity, bodily integrity and/or sexual identity. Second, sexual violence can be used to reaffirm group belonging and hetero-masculinity among perpetrators. Third, sexual violence sends a message to a larger community or nation regarding supremacy and power hierarchies. Two examples (Abu Ghraib and Nazi concentration camps) are presented to illustrate the framework’s concepts.     

Perception of one’s own gender role and the role played by men in adolescent female victims of sexual abuse / Percepción del rol de género propio y del rol que desempeñan los hombres,en mujeres adolescentes víctimas de abuso sexual

In order to ascertain whether suffering sexual abuse affects the perception of adolescent females’ gender role and the perception of the gender role played by men, 71 victims and 76 adolescents who had not been abused were assessed. The findings indicate that sexual abuse victims minimize the positive characteristics of men and overestimate the negative ones, and they perceive themselves with few positive female features but with many negative ones. They are also dissatisfied with their own gender role, which produces maladjustments that increase the difficulty of establishing relationships with the opposite sex, which in turn might generate subsequent risky behaviours.