Abstract
This article examines the lived experiences of recent African immigrant fathers in the United States. It focuses specifically on recent African immigrant fathers with African women as wives and children below the age of 18. Its aim is a better understanding of these fathers’ involvement in the life of their children and the changes immigration has forced upon the fathers. Information for the study emanates from interviews carried out with African immigrant fathers in the Milwaukee area, supplemented by my knowledge of African immigrant communities. The categorization of the data uses a construct established by the mid-1990s DADS Project initiative to examine the role and importance of fathers in the household, mostly in the areas of child-care responsibilities, division of labor in the household, communicating with the children, moral/ethical guidance, educational responsibilities, and discipline. It finds strong evidence to support the view that immigration and life in America have forced these recent African immigrant fathers to modify the African gendered division of labor structure at home and to be more involved in the lives of their children. Because they have access to two worlds, the fathers do not hesitate to tap the positive aspects of both.
Recommended Citation
Nchinda, Zacharia N.
(2014)
"Recent African Immigrants’ Fatherhood Experiences in America: The Changing Role of Fathers,"
Trotter Review: Vol. 22:
Iss.
1, Article 4.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.umb.edu/trotter_review/vol22/iss1/4
Included in
African American Studies Commons, Family, Life Course, and Society Commons, Immigration Law Commons, Race and Ethnicity Commons, Women's Studies Commons
